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Subcommittee advances bill to align Shelby County legislative districts with county lines
Summary
A subcommittee approved an amendment to House Bill 166 to make legislative district boundaries in Shelby County match recent county-line changes, after lawmakers described past voter and candidate confusion caused by mismatched lines. The bill will go to full committee.
A Public Service Subcommittee advanced House Bill 166 on a unanimous voice vote after the sponsor said the measure will align legislative districts in Shelby County with the county boundary changes adopted in recent years.
The sponsor (Lawmaker) said the change moves the district boundary into concurrence with updated county lines affecting Congressional District 8, Senate Districts 31 and 32 and House District 99. "We're just moving the district bounty boundary into concurrence with what we changed a couple of years ago on the county lines," the sponsor said, explaining the amendment (drafting code 13647) that was adopted.
Representative Salinas described multiple instances where mismatched lines led to candidates appearing on ballots for a county they did not reside in and required repeated court actions. Salinas said the situation created confusion for voters and officeholders and asked what steps could prevent a repeat.
The sponsor said the problem appeared to be a mistake that resulted from county-line changes and expressed hope the amendment will prevent future mismatches. The committee then voted to send the bill to full committee (5 ayes, 0 no).
