Committee sets JP map options

Decision planned for Dec. 15

The Pulaski County Election Commission has published four new options for the redistricting of the county’s Quorum Court on Tuesday, after reviewing public comments it collected through multiple public meetings.

Public comments will be collected through Friday, and the commission plans to make a decision on which map to use during its meeting Dec. 15.

The state and local governments have been busy with redistricting since the release of the first U.S. census data earlier this year.

The commission released a set of maps with redistricting options to the public on Nov. 12. It then held four public hearings and offered numerous ways the public could submit comments.

Commissioners reviewed the comments during a Dec. 1 meeting and decided to publish the new set of options for public feedback. Only one of the original maps remains up for review.

It is Alternative 4 and received the most support from public comments, a release from the commission states. It says the districts are more compact than current districts and has cleaner boundaries, including districts six and nine in the downtown area. District 14, currently represented by Justice of the Peace Paul Elliott, would keep its original shape.

An alternative 4a map is similar but includes changes based on public comments, combining the Wellington and St. Charles neighborhoods, the release says. It would change district 12 and 15 in the Chimney Rock area.

Alternative 5 is a completely new option submitted during public comment and would create an additional majority minority district. It also would force incumbent justices of peace to run against each other in District 1, 2 and 10. These seats are held by Doug Reed, Tyler Denton and Kristina Gulley. District 3, 7 and 9 would have no incumbents.

Alternative 6 was submitted by the Pulaski County Quorum Court and has the least amount of changes from the current districts, according to the release.

To view the maps and for more information visit www.votepulaski.net.

Public comments can be submitted by emailing redistricting@votepulaski.net by 11:59 p.m. Friday.