Redistricting maps reveal changes to House, Senate seats
State opens public comment period
St. Francis County would be separated into three House districts, while still being served by two Senate districts based on the state’s proposed maps for redistricting.
The Arkansas Board of Apportionment voted last week to accept the new maps, opening a 30-day public comment period.
The Board is redrawing 100 House and 35 Senate districts so that each district meets various legal criteria, including each district being about the same size in population. The redistricting is required every 10 years after the Census is completed
Currently, St. Francis County is represented in the House by District 48 Rep. Reginald Murdock, D-Marianna, and District 49 Rep. Steve Hollowell, R-Forrest City.
District 48 currently includes all of Lee County and mainly the eastern portions of St. Francis County, including parts of Forrest City.
The proposed changes would see District 48 becoming District 62, which would include all of Lee and Phillips counties, along with the eastern portion of Arkansas and Monroe counties and Wheatley in the western corner of St. Francis County, as well as a portion of Desha County. The district would include the cities of Marianna, Helena-West Helena, Barton, St. Charles, Tichnor and Holly Grove. Portions of Brinkley would be included in District 62, while other parts of that city would be in District 61.
District 49, which currently includes the western portion of St. Francis County and a portion of the middle of Cross County, including Wynne, would become District 37, with the territory expanding.
The new District 37 would include the majority of Cross County, with the exception of areas around Hickory Ridge and Parkin. The proposed district would stretch into Poinsett County, taking in areas around Marked Tree and Tyronza in that county’s south and eastern portions.
The new District 63, would cover mainly the southern portion of St. Francis County from just east of Palestine to the eastern county line, taking in portions of Forrest City, along with Madison, Heth and Hughes. In Crittenden County, the district would include Edmondson, Proctor and a small portion of the southern part of West Memphis near Highway 70.
The targeted population for the House districts is 30,115.
As proposed, District 37 would have a population of 31,157, which would included 24,706 white residents and 3,626 black residents, among other races. District 62 would have 29,200 people with 11,885 white and 15,899 black residents, while District 63 would have a 29,965 population, including 11,735 white and 16,753 black residents.
The proposed Senate redistricting would move Sen. Ronald Caldwell, R-Wynne, from District 23 into District 10 and expand the area. Currently, that district includes all of Jackson County along with parts of Cross, Lee, Monroe, St. Francis, Woodruff and White counties.
The changes would see District 10 covering all of Cross, Monroe, Woodruff, Prairie and Jackson counties along with portions of St. Francis, Lee, Lonoke, Arkansas, Poinsett and Craighead counties.
District 24, represented by Sen. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, would become District 9, according to the proposed maps. The new District 9 would included all of Phillips and Crittenden counties to also include the eastern portions of St. Francis and Lee counties.
The population target for the Senate redistricting is 86,044.
As proposed, District 9 would represent a population of 85,812 of which 31,587 are white residents and 49,732 are black residents. District 10 would have a population of 87,575, with 62,112
white residents and 19,766 black residents.
The Board of Apportionment has placed interactive proposed House and Senate district maps on its website at www.arkansasredistricting.org/ maps-2/
The maps allow the public to input their home address to see street level detail of the proposed districts in their communities. The maps also display the demographic composite of the proposed districts. The public may provide comments on specific areas of the maps. Once a comment is made, it becomes part of the public record.