Redistricting changes the boundaries of legislative and congressional districts. Reapportionment adjusts the number of representatives each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and adjusts state districts to account for population changes.
Since 1990, redistricting and reapportionment of Idaho legislative districts has been managed by Idaho’s bipartisan Citizen Commission for Reapportionment. The commission uses population data from the U.S. Decennial Census along with existing political boundaries to draw district boundaries. On November 3, 2020 Idaho voters approved Idaho Constitutional Amendment HJR 4 which sets the number of districts in Idaho to 35. Previously, the number of districts could be between 30 and 35.
Idaho’s Citizen Commission for Reapportionment
- Idaho Citizen’s Commission for Reapportionment – Current and historic information from the Idaho State Legislature in 1991, and the Idaho Citizen’s Commission for Reapportionment in 2001, 2011, and 2021.
- [Stacks], the Idaho Digital Repository – Meeting minutes.
About Reapportionment and Redistricting
- Congressional Research Service. Apportionment and Redistricting Process for the U.S. House of Representatives (R45951: October 10, 2019) by Sarah J. Eckman, Analyst in American National Government. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45951; Accessed: February 21, 2020.
- Congressional Research Service. Redistricting Commissions for Congressional Districts (IN11053: February 25, 2019) by Sarah J. Eckman, Analyst in American National Government. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11053; Accessed: February 21, 2020.
- Bushnell, Eleanore, editor. Impact of reapportionment on the thirteen Western States. Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1970.
- The 1911 House Reapportionment, August 8, 1911. Accessed August 5, 2020.
- The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, June 11, 1929 Accessed August 5, 2020.
Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the House of Representatives among the 50 states. At the conclusion of each decennial census, the results are used to calculate the number of House memberships to which each state is entitled. This map shows the change to the number of Congressional seats for each state between apportionment based on the 1930 Census and apportionment based on the 2000 Census. U.S. Census Bureau: census.gov/library/visualizations/2000/dec/2000-apportionment-change.html
This page updated by rjoiner on February 17, 2022.