FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Selection of First Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissioners
 
The first six commissioners on the Colorado Independent Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions will be selected in February.
 
Congressional commissioners will be selected Monday, February 1, 2021, at 2:00 PM.
 
The panel of retired judges – Hon. Daniel Taubman, Hon. Robert Hawthorne, and Hon. Alan Loeb – will meet remotely to announce their selections of 50 Democratic, 50 Republican, and 50 unaffiliated applicants.  They will then randomly select two applicants from each pool to serve on the commission.  The meeting will be available to watch or listen to online.  Public viewing will also be available in the Old State Library (room 271) at the Colorado State Capitol Building.
 
Legislative commissioners will be selected Friday, February 12, 2021, at 2:00 PM.
 
The panel of retired judges – Hon. Karen Ashby, Hon. Dennis Graham, and Hon. Gale Miller – will meet remotely to announce their selections of 50 Democratic, 50 Republican, and 50 unaffiliated applicants.  They will then randomly select two applicants from each pool to serve on the commission.  The meeting will be available to watch or listen to online.  Public viewing will also be available in the Old State Library (room 271) at the Colorado State Capitol Building.
 
Both panels have approved the following procedures for their random drawings:
 
At their meeting, the judges on the panel will identify the names of 50 Democrats, 50 Republicans, and 50 unaffiliated applicants from which the first six commissioners will be chosen by lot.  Once directed to do so by the panel, redistricting staff will place a link on the redistricting website to the lists of names.  The names will also be displayed on the screen for those attending the meeting virtually or in person.  The names on the list will be numbered 1-50 (unaffiliated), 51-100 (Democrats), and 101-150 (Republicans).  Bingo balls with corresponding numbers will be placed in three revolving Bingo drums. 
 
Each selection panel will choose commissioners by lot from the pools (unaffiliated, Democratic, and Republican) in the same order the pools are listed in the state constitution.  At the direction of the panel, staff will proceed as follows:
 

1. Draw one ball from the unaffiliated drum—that will be the number of the first commissioner.
2. Draw one ball from the Democratic drum—if that number is not from the same Congressional district as the previously chosen individual, it will be the number of the second commissioner.  If the drawn number represents the same Congressional district as the previously chosen commissioner, it will be set aside and balls will continue to be drawn until a candidate who represents a new Congressional district is chosen.
3. Draw one ball from the Republican drum—follow the procedure listed above until a Republican commissioner is chosen who represents an unchosen Congressional district.
4. Continue to follow the same process, starting again with the unaffiliated drum, until six commissioners are selected who represent six different Congressional districts.

The two judicial panels will also select the final six commissioners for each commission, by March 1, 2021, for the congressional commission, and by March 16, 2021, for the legislative commission.  For each commission, two lists of ten Democrats will be submitted by the Majority Leaders of the State Senate and State House of Representatives.  Two lists of ten Republicans will be submitted by the Minority Leaders of the State Senate and State House of Representatives.  From each of these lists, the judges will select one commissioner.  The judges for each commission will also select two unaffiliated commissioners from the original pool of applicants. 

Each commission must include at least one member residing in each current congressional district and at least one member from the Western Slope and must, to the extent possible, reflect Colorado's racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic diversity.