| Congressional Boundaries | Drawn by legislature |
| State Boundaries | Drawn by legislature |
| Governor's Party | Democratic |
| Legislative Party | Democratic |
Scored Maps from the Redistricting Report Card
Communities of Interest
Check out Communities of Interest collected in this state on Representable
Learn about Communities of Interest in this state
Census-related Redistricting Timeline Delays
Congressional
Alert: Guarded| Final Map Deadline | 2022-03-08 |
| Deadline Type | Candidate filing |
| News Sources | Census delay leaves Oregon’s redistricting process in a lurch Oregon lawmakers tap outside attorneys to help oversee political maps |
| Actions Proposed in State | Special session |
State Legislative
Alert: Elevated| Final Map Deadline | 2021-09-27 |
| Deadline Type | Supreme Court ruling |
| Other Dates |
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| News Sources | Oregon Legislature has until September to redraw district maps |
| Additional Notes | Tentative alternate schedule proposed by Supreme Court:
|
| Actions Proposed in State | Court extension, Special session |
Process
State Legislature
Oregon's state legislative and congressional district lines are drawn by the Legislature by ordinary statute, and are subject to the Governor's veto. The Legislature can override vetoes with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. If the Legislature fails to adopt a plan, the Secretary of State assumes redistricting authority.
Criteria
In addition to the federal requirements of one person, one vote and the Voting Rights Act, Oregon’s state constitution (Art. IV § 7) requires that state legislative districts be contiguous. State statutes (Stat. § 188.010) further require that state legislative and congressional districts preserve political subdivisions and communities of interest, and be connected by “transportation links.” Additionally, intentionally favoring an incumbent, party, or candidate for office is prohibited, as is drawing districts “for the purpose of diluting the voting strength of any language or ethnic minority group.”
Public Input
The Oregon legislature has released its 2020 redistricting website, where the public can find relevant information and contacts.
In 2016, the Oregon Legislature passed a law to increase the amount of public input and transparency in the redistricting process. First, the Legislature must hold at least 10 public hearings, at least one per congressional district. Further, the Legislature or the Secretary of State must hold five hearings after publishing a preliminary plan. Lastly, this new law requires that either the Legislature or Secretary provide adequate notice of hearings, allow for remote testimony, and prioritize hearings in areas with the largest population shifts.
Issues
Pitfalls
Both chambers of the Legislature and the Governorship are controlled by Democrats. Single-party control increases the risk of partisan gerrymandering.
Congressional Seats
Following the 2020 Census apportionment results, Oregon gained one congressional seat.
Potential Reform
People Not Politicians’ IP 57 fell short of making it on the November ballot. The initiative would have created significant reform to Oregon’s redistricting process, and may still serve as a template for future efforts.
- The initiative would create a 12-member independent citizen commission. To briefly summarize the selection process, a panel of three administrative law judges narrows down to three pools of 50 qualified and diverse applicants, divided by partisan category; from each pool, the Secretary of State randomly selects two commissioners. These six then choose six more (two per partisan category) by a majority vote that must include one vote per partisan category.
- Once selected, the commission would choose a chair and vice-chair, who must be from different partisan categories. Final approval of maps would require a majority with at least one vote per partisan category, and include a report detailing the commission's rationale. If the commission fails to approve a map, any group of four commissioners across parties may submit a plan to the state Supreme Court.
- The commission would hold at least ten public hearings prior to a map being drafted and five after drafting but before approval, including at least one hearing per congressional district, one hearing per state region, and one hearing at each stage in areas with the largest population shifts. There must be prior notice, and all records must be made publicly available.
- The initiative would enshrine redistricting criteria requiring (1) compliance with state and federal law, population equality, and contiguity; (2) the minimization of splitting localities and communities of interest; (3) maximizing competitiveness (the ability to translate support into representation). The initiative would also prohibit the favoring/disfavoring of an incumbent, candidate, or party and the dilution of the voting strength of language and ethnic minorities.
Actions
In 2021, participate in the public input process.
- Obtain Oregon redistricting data from OpenPrecincts.
- Start to plan out what defines your community – whether it’s a shared economic interest, school districts, or other social or other cultural, historical, or economic interests – and how that can be represented on a map. This will come in handy once the Legislature starts collecting feedback.
- Use software tools such as Dave's Redistricting App and Districtr to draw district maps showing either (a) what a fair map would look like, or (b) where the community you believe should be better represented is located.
Contacts
League of Women Voters of Oregon