Northfield City Council to Begin Redistricting Process Next Week

In the coming months, the Northfield City Council will approve a new redistricting plan, which will redraw local ward and precinct lines.

And in order to prepare for the redistricting, which happens every 10 years following the U.S. Census, the League of Women Voters of Northfield-Cannon Falls held an informational meeting Thursday night to educate the community about the process.

Karen Saxe, a voting and electoral theory researcher and member at large of the LWVNCF board of directors, and Deb Little, Northfield city clerk, led the presentation.

“We have the opportunity to change the tenor of the discourse in our country,” said Northfield councilor Suzie Nakasian, who spoke briefly about the importance of redistricting before the presentation.

When redrawing ward and precinct lines, three key redistricting principles are taken into consideration.

They are: equal populations, the necessity that districts must touch one another and compactness of district shape, with circle and square districts being preferable.

There are also more nuanced social and political criteria to consider.

For instance, districts should preserve communities of interest, such as cities, counties and school boards, while also ensuring political competitiveness, said Saxe. And, she added, district lines should not be drawn to dilute minority representation or intentionally protect or defeat incumbents. 

Looking at Northfield, it lies within Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District and consists of four wards and nine precincts.

The Council must approve the city redistricting plan by April 13, assuming a new state redistricting plan for legislative boundaries has been approved by that date. County and congressional district boundaries are also redrawn during the process.

The city redistricting plan is on the agenda for the Jan. 17 council meeting and discussion will continue through the coming months. The Council may reach a preliminary plan approval as early as February or March.

“I don’t project any problems,” said Little.

Northfield residents interested in becoming involved in the redistricting process are encouraged to contact their elected officials or participate in the open comment portion of upcoming city council meetings.