The 2020 Census and Redistricting

While the Unicameral is still months away from starting the 2022 Legislative Session, a special two-week session on redistricting continues at the capitol here in Lincoln. 

With the recent release of U.S. Census data, the results of that data have important implications on the makeup of the legislature in the years to come. The task of updating Legislative, Congressional, Board of Regents, Public Service Commission, State Board of Education and Supreme Court districts will fall to our state senators.

The Legislature’s Redistricting Committee certainly has an important task to accomplish with hearings and public testimony continuing. The Chamber’s upcoming Public Policy Forum this Wednesday features David Drozd, research coordinator for the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. This forum will have an in-person and online attendance option and we hope you can attend either way to hear David’s important analysis of census data.

Nebraska’s population growth continues in urban centers but is declining in rural areas, mirroring national results of the 2020 Census. Pointed debate will continue as all corners of the state are looking to make sure their interests are represented, extending the rural vs. urban debate that seems to be a consistent and dominant topic of discussion at the state level.

State senators will have to work together to find compromise and finish the job of redistricting by September 24 in order to meet deadlines for the upcoming 2022 elections. To share your views with state senators and for more information on public hearings, click here.

As is the case for every session and in meetings with our elected officials, our mission at the Chamber is to protect the interests of our members and community. We will continue to collaborate and work together with other people and groups to grow jobs, investments and opportunities. Lincoln continues to grow, and the Chamber is committed to ensuring that development continues unabated with the best policies in place to accommodate growth.