The House and Senate committee for the 2022 redistricting of legislative and congressional districts is holding a virtual hearing on Wednesday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. for residents who live in the 2nd Congressional district.

No district maps until fall: The Legislature is moving ahead with the legal requirement to hold two hearings for each congressional district despite a six-month delay in receiving data to draw new political district lines. The data is not expected to arrive until Sept. 30. The Oregon Supreme Court will decide how the redistricting will be done, but both Democratic and Republican leaders in the Legislature are filing requests with the court to send the process back to the Legislature in the autumn.

Area covered in Wednesday’s hearing: The 2nd Congressional District includes all of Oregon east of the Cascades, as well as portions of southwest Oregon.  The committee will prioritize individuals residing in the districts, which includes Deschutes, Umatilla, Baker, Crook, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler counties. It also includes a portion of Josephine County.

Legislature districts also are on agenda: Though the hearing is directed toward the counties in the congressional district, discussion will also include legislative districts in the region.

Finding if you are in district area: Go to:

https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/FindYourLegislator/leg-districts.html

Live video stream of the hearing: To access the hearing online, go to https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Committees/SRED/Overview and click on the icon with a camera on the right side of the screen for 3/10/21.

Testifying:

There are two ways to testify – online and in writing.

Oral testimony (Live Remotely)

Registration is required to testify by phone or video link. You will receive a confirmation email. Use the online form at https://survey.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8A35iBohw1xyw4K

or call 833-588-4500.

Registration closes at the time the meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Note: The time for testimony is limited. Those who wish to testify via the online live system are not guaranteed a time slot.

Written testimony

The window for submitting written testimony for Wednesday’s hearing has passed. Written testimony can be submitted for consideration during the  second hearing for residents of the 2nd Congressional District on March 20 at 1 p.m.

Written testimony or comments can be submitted via the Legislature’s online website, by email or by regular mail.

Online written submissions: Submit written comments online via the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) testimony portal. It will be included in the public records at https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Committees/SRED/Overview.

By email:  oregon.redistricting@oregonlegislature.gov

By mail: Send to Oregon Redistricting Committees, 900 Court Street NE, Room 453, Salem, OR 97301.