KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas lawmakers are redrawing congressional lines and some Wyandotte County residents are concerned with one map that could change who represents the area in the U.S. House of Representatives.
State lawmakers said they must redraw district lines based on population growth in the 3rd Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Sharice Davids.
A map called "Ad Astra" is gaining traction in Topeka and would divide Wyandotte County along Interstate 70. The northern part of the county would be in the 2nd Congressional District, currently represented by Republican Jake LaTurner. The new 3rd Congressional district would include the southern part of Wyandotte County along with Johnson County, Franklin, Miami, and Anderson Counties.
"I think the main motivation is to dilute the voice here," Tom Alonzo said.
Alonzo is with Equality Kansas, a group that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. He said he's concerned the redrawn map of the 3rd Congressional District targets minorities and the LGBTQ+ community and places those populations in districts where they have less influence over their elected officials.
"Just because we're in their district, doesn't mean that they're going to listen to us and if we don't have a strong voice, they especially will not listen to us," Alonzo said.
Officials with The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, have also raised concerns over dividing the county between two congressional districts.
"We think about the interest of the urban core, primarily minority population of individuals, being mixed into the interest of a rural population, predominantly white, that would be difficult for one representative in congress to really begin to balance the interest I believe of both of those populations," Dr. Mildred Edwards, chief of staff of the UG mayor/CEO, said.
Senate President Ty Masterson said communities of color were considered when district boundaries were being drawn.
“Those demographics are kept together. It's a matter of whether they kept together in the second or kept together in the third and how you divide that."
The redistricting process is far from finished and Alonzo vowed to keep fighting.
"You have to speak up and it has to be loud," Alonzo said.
