As part of a required legislative process, Arapahoe County will re-draw boundaries for county commissioner districts in 2023. To assist with this process, the County is seeking interested residents to serve on a Citizen Redistricting Advisory Committee that will help solicit public input and feedback and help draw proposed new district maps for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The process will last 10 months, from December 2022 to September 2023, and time commitments and a complete list of requirements are below. 

Background 

Under Colorado State law, boundaries for county commissioner districts must be redrawn every 10 years based on the most recent United States Census. Due to a nationwide delay in states receiving 2020 United States Census data, the Colorado State Legislature delayed the process for counties until 2023 to allow time to analyze data and prepare redistricting processes. The new districts will be in effect for the 2024 election. 

Redistricting is a nonpartisan process that creates a minimum of three proposed county commissioner district maps that will be considered for adoption by the BOCC. Maps must incorporate specific decision-making criteria, such as population growth and public input.  

Nine total members are required for this committee: Three registered Democrats, three Republicans and three Unaffiliated voters. Members’ voter registration must not have changed since the 2020 General Election, and all committee members must be Arapahoe County residents.  

Applicants will be interviewed by the Board of County Commissioners and selected based on the following: 

• Party affiliation 
• Civic interest  
• Willingness to listen to, respect and understand diverse viewpoints  
• Experience working with others to reach outcomes or decisions  
• Commitment to a fair and equitable process 
• Geographic and demographic diversity  
• Commitment to attending all meetings as required by law 

Time Commitment:  

• Limited, 10-month appointment (December 2022 – September 2023)  
• Monthly meetings (60-90 minutes each), beginning December 2022  
• Potential for bi-monthly meetings (60 minutes each) if necessary 
• Public engagement activities: A minimum of three events over ten months (60 - 90 minutes each) 
• Unless otherwise specified, applicants should expect to attend all meetings in person 

Role and Responsibilities:  

• Consistent with state statute, create and present at least three proposed county commissioner district maps to the BOCC for consideration and adoption  
• Understand requirements, data and context to inform recommendations 
• Provide input and direction to staff to draw initial maps for consideration in open meetings  
• Provide input on the proposed public engagement plan in open meetings  
• Participate in open advisory committee meetings 
• Participate in and advocate for resident engagement in the process  
• Review public feedback and provide direction to staff regarding how to incorporate this input in map revisions  
• Present recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners in open meetings  
• Recognize that members are unable to engage in any discussion of this process with anyone outside of the established public process: Any discussions, “side conversations,” or requests for feedback may not take place with any elected officials, political party officials, peers, staff or colleagues on this topic outside of scheduled public meetings of the Citizens Redistricting Advisory Committee meetings  
• Conduct oneself in accordance with group norms 
• Recognize that all work is subject to Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requirements, including correspondence, work product and communications between and among colleagues and staff 
• Applicants may be subject to a background check  
• Serving on a County committee can be a very rewarding process and interested applicants should be aware that members of this committee are expected to hold themselves to a high standard of privacy.  

Those interested in applying for the Citizen Redistricting Advisory Committee should visit our website to complete an application. Please submit your application no later than Friday, Sept. 23, 2022.