Parties Split on Redistricting Maps in Maine
Democrats and Republicans on a redistricting panel in Maine released significantly different draft maps to adjust the line between Maine’s two Congressional districts on Monday, according to local reports.
The Republican plan splits the state vertically, differing from the current map, which divides it horizontally. The GOP plan would draw Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree’s home into the same district as that of Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud and make the already competitive 2nd Congressional district more Republican.
The Democratic plan would make a small adjustment — moving one town from the 1st to the 2nd — to keep their populations even. If the panel, and subsequently the state Legislature, cannot agree on a map, courts will draw a new one.