Try, try again. The initial Gem State redistricting panel, composed of three Demcocrats and three Republicans, could not produce a plan. That resulted in the forming of a second commission, but its initial effort was ruled unconstitutional. That same panel developed another plan, which it released to the public on Friday.
After the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the group's first redistricting plan unconstitutional, the commission went back to the drawing board resulting in another plan, passed by the commission on a 6-0 vote.
Although the new plan passed unanimously, it appears not everyone is happy. Grant Loebs, from Twin Falls County, says the new plan splits the county in three ways, and for no apparent reason. One of the reasons the Supreme Court ruled the original plan unconstitutional was because it said there were unneeded splits across counties.
Loebs says it has happened again. "Our argument was you can't split counties for no reason. Twin Falls County was again split for no legitimate reason when a plan was offered by Randy Hansen which would have avoided doing that, and which would have disadvantaged no other county and no other identifiable group of people."
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