Missouri 2022 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SB954 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	SECOND REGULAR SESSION
3	3	SENATE BILL NO. 954
4	4	101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
5	5	INTRODUCED BY SENATOR MOSLEY.
6	6	3561S.02I ADRIANE D. CROUSE, Secretary
7	7	AN ACT
8	8	To amend chapter 67, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to redistricting political
9	9	subdivisions.
10	10
11	11	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
12	12	Section A. Chapter 67, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
13	13	one new section, to be known as section 67.005, to read as 2
14	14	follows:3
15	15	67.005. 1. Every political subdivision, political 1
16	16	party county committee, board, city council, board of 2
17	17	alderpersons, and county commission shall consist of such 3
18	18	members as is provided by law, ordinance, or charter and 4
19	19	shall be elected as provided by law, ordinance, or charter. 5
20	20	2. Each multi-member political subdivision that elects 6
21	21	members from single member wards, subdistricts or districts, 7
22	22	not including members who are elected at-large, political 8
23	23	party county committee, board, city council, board of 9
24	24	alderpersons, and county commission shall redistrict or 10
25	25	reapportion their wards, subdistricts, or districts using 11
26	26	the following methods, listed in order of prior ity: 12
27	27	(1) Wards, subdistricts, or districts shall be as 13
28	28	nearly equal as practicable in population. Wards, 14
29	29	subdistricts, or districts are as nearly equal as 15
30	30	practicable in population if no ward, subdistrict, or 16
31	31	district deviates by more than five percent from the ideal 17
32	32	population of the ward, subdistrict, or district, as 18 SB 954 2
33	33	measured by dividing the number of wards, subdistricts, or 19
34	34	districts into the jurisdiction's, political subdivision's, 20
35	35	municipal's, or county's population data being used; 21
36	36	(2) Wards, subdistricts, and districts shall be 22
37	37	established in a manner so as to comply with all 23
38	38	requirements of the United States Constitution and 24
39	39	applicable federal laws, including, but not limited to, the 25
40	40	Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended. The following 26
41	41	principles shall take precedence over any other part of this 27
42	42	section: no ward, subdistrict, or district shall be drawn 28
43	43	in a manner which results in a denial or abridgment of the 29
44	44	right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account 30
45	45	of race or color; and no ward, subdistrict, or district 31
46	46	shall be drawn such that members of any community of 32
47	47	citizens protected by the preceding clause have less 33
48	48	opportunity than other members of the electorate to 34
49	49	participate in the political process and to elect 35
50	50	representatives of their choice; 36
51	51	(3) Subject to the requirements of subdivisions (1) 37
52	52	and (2) of this subsection, districts, subdistricts, and 38
53	53	wards shall be composed of contiguous territory as compact 39
54	54	as may be. Areas which meet onl y at the points of adjoining 40
55	55	corners are not contiguous. In general, compact wards, 41
56	56	subdistricts, and districts are those which are square, 42
57	57	rectangular, or hexagonal in shape to the extent permitted 43
58	58	by natural or census block boundaries; 44
59	59	(4) To the extent consistent with subdivisions (1) to 45
60	60	(3) of this subsection, communities and political 46
61	61	subdivisions of common interest shall be preserved. In the 47
62	62	case of a jurisdiction or political subdivision that 48
63	63	encompasses multiple municipalities or of county commission 49
64	64	districts, wards, subdistricts, or districts shall satisfy 50 SB 954 3
65	65	this requirement if ward, subdistrict, or district lines 51
66	66	follow municipal or political subdivision lines to the 52
67	67	extent possible and as few political subdivision or 53
68	68	municipal lines shall be crossed as possible. 54
69	69	3. Districts, subdistricts, and wards shall be drawn 55
70	70	in a manner that achieves both partisan fairness and, 56
71	71	secondarily, competitiveness, but the standards established 57
72	72	by subdivisions (1) to (4) of subsection 2 o f this section 58
73	73	shall take precedence over partisan fairness and 59
74	74	competitiveness. "Partisan fairness" means that parties 60
75	75	shall be able to translate their popular support into 61
76	76	legislative representation with approximately equal 62
77	77	efficiency. "Competitiveness" means that parties' 63
78	78	legislative representation shall be substantially and 64
79	79	similarly responsive to shifts in the electorate's 65
80	80	preferences. 66
81	81	4. Except as otherwise provided by law, ordinance, or 67
82	82	charter, not later than sixty days after the ef fective date 68
83	83	of this section and after each decennial census has been 69
84	84	reported to the President of the United States, not later 70
85	85	than six months prior to the opening of filing for office, 71
86	86	the redistricting or reapportionment authority shall file 72
87	87	with the election authority a tentative reapportionment or 73
88	88	redistricting plan and map of the proposed wards, 74
89	89	subdistricts, or districts and during the ensuing fifteen 75
90	90	days shall hold such public hearings as may be necessary to 76
91	91	hear objections or testimony of interested persons. The 77
92	92	redistricting or reapportionment authority shall make public 78
93	93	the tentative reapportionment or redistricting plan and map 79
94	94	of the proposed wards, subdistricts, or districts, as well 80
95	95	as all demographic and partisan data used in t he creation of 81
96	96	the plan and map. 82 SB 954 4
97	97	5. Except as otherwise provided by law, ordinance, or 83
98	98	charter, not later than ninety days after the effective date 84
99	99	of this section and not later than five months prior to the 85
100	100	opening of filing for office after eac h decennial census has 86
101	101	been reported to the President of the United States, the 87
102	102	redistricting or reapportionment authority shall file with 88
103	103	the election authority a final statement of the numbers and 89
104	104	the boundaries of the wards, subdistricts, or distric ts 90
105	105	together with a map of the wards, subdistricts, or districts. 91
106	106	6. The office of the state demographer shall provide 92
107	107	such assistance as is required to assist with the 93
108	108	redistricting or reapportionment of wards, subdistricts, or 94
109	109	districts and may charge a reasonable fee to reimburse the 95
110	110	state for the cost thereof. 96
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