The Tallulah City Council on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance to introduce one of its two choices of plans for redistricting citywide following the 2020 census.
The council has twice heard possibilities for the redistricting that occurs every 10 years to account for population shifts and redraw lines from municipal to congressional districting across the country.
North Delta Regional Planning and Development District Executive Director Doug Mitchell in October and earlier in November presented plans to the council with two options given to address and correct for deviation - the main factor in meeting U.S. Census Bureau requirements.
Deviation, Mitchell explained, refers to the difference between populations of electoral districts, which must fall within a certain percentage in order to achieve "equal representation for voting, with deviation and racial breakdowns." Electoral districts are constitutionally required to have similar populations; however, meeting that standard can be tricky, Mitchell said, hence the Census Bureau requiring redistricting each decade.
During Monday’s meeting, the council approved the introduction of Plan 2, which brings deviation in at 7.6 percent, well below the 10-percent mark Mitchell said is commonly the goal.
Additionally, Mitchell said ordinances to bring Madison Point and Tallulah Estates apartments into the fray following the latest census have been obtained and sent to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office for review. Mitchell said an approval would place Madison Point’s 66 registered voters into the city’s District 4, while Tallulah Estate’s 61 voters would be included in District 5.
Following adoption of the ordinance to introduce Plan 2, Tallulah Mayor Charles Finlayson said a public hearing will be announced for later this month and will be held before the council votes to approve the plan ahead of the December deadline.
