Redistricting mean big changes for local state legislators

When the redistricting panel released the new lines for the U.S. Congressional Districts and the Senate Districts for the state this past Tuesday, many with a vested interest in that outcome took a look at the impact it would have on them. For the legislators who represent the Redwood area, the impact was significant. Sen. Gary Dahms, Rep. Chris Swedzinski and Rep. Paul Torkelson all saw changes to the districts they currently represent, with many more miles added to districts for Dahms and Swedzinski, and Torkelson losing the majority of his current House district.

“I?would say I lost about 95 percent of my constituents,”?said Torkelson, who said the new redistricting plan did not serve him well. “The new district I?live in would put me up against Tony Cornish (a veteran legislator who is also a Republican).”

Torkelson said while the future is up in the air, he plans to return to the legislature again.

“I?have every intention of running for office, but how that pans out remains to be seen,”?said Torkelson.

In a press release made public this pat week after the redistricting lines were announced, Dahms officially announced he would run for re-election in the new Senate District where he resides, which includes a lot of new territory.

“I am excited about meeting the people in Senate District 16,” Dahms said. “It is a geographically large rural district with common interests. 

“Economically, agriculture is big in the district with productive farms and strong agriculture related businesses. With my background and as vice-chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Economies Committee, I look forward to working with the district’s farmers and agricultural businesses.”

Swedzinski said he is glad the new House District where he resides includes a portion of Redwood County, and said as he is “probably running”  he is looking forward to getting out in the new portions of the district, which include all of Lac qui Parle and Yellow Medicine counties.

“This business is all about meeting people,”?said Swedzinski, adding he thinks it is exciting to be working with a new group of people, businesses and communities.

According to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Web site, the new boundary lines officially take effect Aug. 14, which is the date of the primary election. The Secretary of State’s Web site also indicates a deadline of April 3 for municipal redistricting lines to be redrawn.

While elected officials look at the lines to see changes, others look for patterns and trends and consider the impact of the new redistricting plan.

Among those with a different perspective is David Sturrock, a political science professor at SMSU?in Marshall.

Sturrock said he is disappointed in the hand the southwest Minnesota region got as part of the plan.

“I?think they divided some counties up more than they needed to,”?he said, adding Redwood County in particular took the brunt of the redrawn lines, with three townships in the southernmost part of the county now part of a district that starts in those townships and heads south to the Iowa border. While Sturrock would not go so far as to call the plan gerrymandering, he did say he does not see any obvious reason why the county was divided up the way it was.

Divisions of counties does take place, said Sturrock, but he things more of the division could have been avoided in the process.

When he sees the new Senate District 16, he does see the district’s northern border seems to follow the Minnesota River.

Sturrock sees geography as being a big issue for some legislators going forward, and thinks the trend of larger rural districts for state and federal seats is only going to be more of a reality in the future.