Denver City Council’s Redistricting Committee will move two maps, modified versions of Map D and Map E, through the legal review process for consideration at the regular council meeting next Monday.

The maps were selected from four options, after City Council members clashed over how the maps will affect minority communities in Denver. 

The current council district map has two “minority-majority” districts, where non-white voters make up more than 50% of the voting-age population, and four “minority-influence” districts, where non-white voters make up between 35% and 50% of the voting-age population.

The two advancing maps will increase the number of minority-majority districts to four, but they decrease the number of minority-influence districts to one. 

Map D (below) is sponsored by council members Chris Herndon, Stacie Gilmore, Jolon Clark, Kendra Black, Paul Kashmann, Amanda Sawyer and Chris Hinds, though Hinds was not present at the committee meeting to vote on it. Councilman Kevin Flynn was the seventh vote present to move this map forward, and Councilwoman Robin Kniech was not yet present at the meeting for this vote.

Map E (below) is sponsored by council members Amanda Sandoval and Jaime Torres, and council members Deborah Ortega, Candi CdeBaca, Kniech, Flynn and Kashmann all voted to move this map forward on a second vote once Kniech arrived at the meeting.

The two maps were modified versions of the original maps D and E, taking into consideration public feedback on keeping neighborhoods whole, one of the most common asks from the public. The new Map D moves the Virginia Vale neighborhood fully into District 6 and the Winston Downs neighborhood into District 5.

The new Map E makes Hilltop whole within District 5 as well as North and South Park Hill. The East Colfax neighborhood is moved to District 8 and keeps Northeast Park Hill whole. One precinct in the University neighborhood was also moved into District 6 where it is made whole, and a boundary change to District 11 adds one precinct to mirror Map D.

Map A, sponsored by CdeBaca, failed to pass with her being the only aye vote. Flynn decided to withdraw his map, Map C, from consideration knowing it wouldn’t have support to pass.

Several council members reiterated that in the end the council will need to have one map and so voting to move more than one forward might further complicate the process. But others emphasized that since the council isn’t in agreement it would be better to further debate the map’s merits. Torres noted that this is on par with how moving bills out of other committees works.

“I realize it would be cleaner and easier for everyone if we all agreed on one map, but we don’t, and I think we owe it to Denver to have two more weeks of dialogue on what is the difference between these two maps and what do they offer for residents,” Torres said.

At the City Council meeting next Monday, council will hold a first vote on the two maps. There is still an opportunity for council members to submit amendments to these maps, but there are additional steps that would need to be started sooner rather than later for these amendments to be considered next week, including filing with the Clerk and Recorder’s Office and legal review by the City Attorney’s Office. CdeBaca said she would submit amendments to Map E for consideration.

City attorneys are working to clarify for the council whether it can hold a combined public hearing for both maps or if it needs to hold separate hearings on March 29, but the council will need to pass one final map at the same meeting.