Census-based redistricting provides new opportunities for AORN's Legislative Grassroots Network - Health Policy Issues - includes contact information for secretaries of state - Directory

AORN Journal,  March, 2002  

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GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TOOLBOX

Secretaries of state: A resource regarding redistricting

There are 435 seats in the US House of
Representatives. Reapportionment from the 2000 census
will cause a shift of 12 seats, starting with the
2002 elections. States losing a congressional district
include Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, and New
York and Pennsylvania each will lose two seats. States
gaining one district are California, Colorado, Nevada,
and North Carolina; states gaining two districts are
Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Redistricting (ie,
drawing of boundaries for congressional and state legislative
seats) occurs in all 50 states. The US Supreme
Court has ruled that districts within a state must have
relatively uniform populations.

Timetables for redistricting vary from state to state,
The legislature in Nevada, for example, meets biannually
and will not have a scheduled session in 2002. A
special legislative session was held in the summer of
2001 to establish a map for the state's new third congressional
district. (1) County Commissioner Dario
Herrera (D-Clark County) and state Sen Jon Porter (R)
were the only major party candidates to announce
their candidacies, so their campaigns are up and running.
(2) Colorado, like other states, could not resolve
partisan disputes about redistricting during 2000. A
district court judge waited until recently to decide on
the final map, which includes the state's new seat in
Congress. (3) Declared and potential candidates just now
are starting to organize their campaigns.

For up-to-date information on redistricting in a particular
state, contact the elections division in your state's secretary
of state's office. This division also has information
on voter registration, qualifications for candidates,
and the overall calendar of activities related to the
state's election cycle in 2002. (4)

State             Secretary of state web site

Alabama           http://www.sos.state.al.us
Alaska *          http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov
Arizona           http://www.sosaz.com
Arkansas          http://www.sosweb.state.ar.us
California        http://www.ss.ca.gov
Colorado          http://www.sos.state.co.us
Connecticut       http://www.sots.state.ct.us
Delaware          http://www.state.de.us/sos
Florida           http://www.dos.state.fl.us
Georgia           http://www.sos.state.ga.us
Hawaii *          http://www.hawaii.gov/ltgov
Idaho             http://www.idsos.state.id.us
Illinois          http://www.ilsos.net
Indiana           http://www.state.in.us/sos/
Iowa              http://www.sos.state.ia.us
Kansas            http://www.kssos.org
Kentucky          http://www.sos.state.ky.us
Louisiana         http://www.sec.state.la.us
Maine             http://www.state.me.us/sos
Maryland          http://www.sos.state.md.us
Massachusetts     http://www.state.ma.us/sec
Michigan          http://www.sos.state.mi.us
Minnesota         http://www.state.mn.us/ebranch/sos
Mississippi       http://www.sos.state.ms.us
Missouri          http://www.mosl.sos.state.mo.us/
Montana           http://www.sos.state.mt.us
Nebraska          http://www.nol.org/home/SOS/
Nevada            http://www.sos.state.nv.us
New Hampshire     http://www.state.nh.us/sos
New Jersey        http://vwvw.state.nj.us/state
New Mexico        http://www.sos.state.nm.us
New York          http://wwvw.dos.state.ny.us
North Carolina    http://www.secstate.state.nc.us
North Dakota      http://www.state.nd.us/sec
Ohio              http://www.state.oh.us/sos
Oklahoma          http://www.sos.state.ok.us
Oregon            http://www.sos.state.or.us
Pennsylvania      http://www.dos.state.pa.us
Rhode Island      http://www.sec.state.ri.us
South Carolina    http://www.scsos.com
South Dakota      http://www.state.sd.us/sos/sos.htm
Tennessee         http://www.state.tn.us/sos
Texas             http://www.sos.state.tx.us
Utah *            http://www.governor.state.ut.us/lt_gover/home.html
Vermont           http://www.sec.state.vt.us
Virginia          http://www.soc.state.va.us
Washington        http://www.secstate.wagov
West Virginia     http://www.wvsos.com
Wisconsin         http://www.state.wi.us/agencies/sos
Wyoming           http://soswy.state.wy.us

State             Telephone

Alabama           (334) 242-7205
Alaska *          (907) 465-3520
Arizona           (602) 542-4285
Arkansas          (501) 682-1010
California        (916) 653-6814
Colorado          (303) 894-2200
Connecticut       (860) 509-6000
Delaware          (302) 739-4111
Florida           (850) 245-6500
Georgia           (404) 656-2881
Hawaii *          (808) 586-0255
Idaho             (208) 334-2300
Illinois          (217) 782-2201
Indiana           (317) 232-6536
Iowa              (515) 281-5204
Kansas            (785) 296-4564
Kentucky          (502) 564-3490
Louisiana         (225) 342-4479
Maine             (207) 626-8400
Maryland          (410) 974-5521
Massachusetts     (617) 727-7030
Michigan          (517) 373-2510
Minnesota         (651) 296-2803
Mississippi       (601) 359-1350
Missouri          (573) 751-4936
Montana           (406) 444-2034
Nebraska          (402) 471-2554
Nevada            (775) 684-5708
New Hampshire     (603) 271-6316
New Jersey        (609) 984-1900
New Mexico        (505) 827-3600
New York          (518) 474-0050
North Carolina    (919) 807-2005
North Dakota      (701) 328-2900
Ohio              (614) 466-3910
Oklahoma          (405) 521-3911
Oregon            (503) 986-1523
Pennsylvania      (717) 787-6458
Rhode Island      (401) 222-2357
South Carolina    (803) 734-2170
South Dakota      (605) 773-3537
Tennessee         (615) 741-2819
Texas             (512) 463-5770
Utah *            (801) 538-1520
Vermont           (802) 828-2363
Virginia          (804) 786-2441
Washington        (360) 902-4151
West Virginia     (304) 558-6000
Wisconsin         (608) 266-8888
Wyoming           (307) 777-7378

* In Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah, the lieutenant governor's office
handles secretary of state duties.

NOTES

(1.) D Heller, "Summary of Nevada's 2001 redistricting legislation,"
Nevada Secretary of State,
http://www.sos.state.nv.us/nvelection/redistricting/summary.htm
(accessed 29 Jan 2002).

(2.) "Directory of Nevada state and congressional candidates,"
Politics1.com, http://www.politics1.com/nv.htm
(accessed 29 Jan 2002).

(3.) F Brown, "Judge John Coughlin, Cartographer," Denver Post, 21
Dec 2001, sec B, 4.

(4.) "The office of the secretary of state,"  National Association
of Secretaries of State, http://www.nass.org/sos/sos.html
(accessed 29 Jan 2002).