Iowa’s second round of redistricting maps came out last Thursday, giving lawmakers one week to review the proposal before convening for a special session.

This is the second proposal from the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. Republican lawmakers in early October voted against the LSA’s first proposal, arguing that the districts could be more compact and have more evenly balanced populations.

If legislators vote against this set of maps, the LSA will create a third and final proposal. Only after rejecting that third proposal would legislators be allowed to directly edit the maps, a process that Democrats warn could lead to gerrymandering.

But several steps and several weeks remain before that could happen. Here’s where the process stands now.

What do the new maps look like?

The second proposed redistricting map (pictured) would put Grundy County and Tama County into an amalgamation of counties from current senate districts 25, 36 and 38. Should the second proposal be approved, District 36 Senator Jeff Edler (R-State Center) would be cut apart from Tama County and would be within new district 26 that includes Marshall County and parts of rural Story County. Senator Annette Sweeney (R-Alden) would be the lone incumbent senator living within the new district 27 that includes Hardin, Grundy, Tama and Poweshiek Counties as well as a small portion of rural Black Hawk County. Image courtesy of the Iowa Legislative Service Agency

The LSA draws three maps for each proposal: a congressional map, and maps for the state House and Senate.

Detailed versions of the latest maps are available online (www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/redistricting), as well as an interactive map to find your proposed legislative district.

Will lawmakers vote in favor of this proposal?

Republicans were reticent about the maps Thursday morning, releasing brief statements thanking the LSA for the second proposal and promising to review it carefully.

“I appreciate the work LSA has done to quickly attempt to address the concerns the Senate expressed with Plan One,” Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said in a statement. “Plan Two is a regular part of the process outlined in Iowa law. I look forward to reviewing the map and its adherence to the criteria established in Iowa law.

Should the second round of redistricting maps be approved, House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) would not be matched with any other incumbent representatives, while Rep. Dean Fisher (R-Montour) could face a primary challenge from incumbent Dave Maxwell (R-Gibson) who currently serves as the representative for House District 76. The proposed plan would form House District 54 out of Grundy and Hardin Counties along with part of rural Black Hawk County and House District 53 out of Poweshiek County and a portion of Tama County. Image courtesy of the Iowa Legislative Service Agency

Meanwhile, Iowa Democrats were vocal about their support for the maps, as they were for the initial proposal. Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls told reporters that Democrats would vote in favor of the proposal, and he called on Republicans to do the same.

“Just like the first map, this second map is fair and meets the legal and constitutional requirements,” Wahls said. “It addresses all of the purported concerns of the Republicans from the first map.”

A major personal concern for lawmakers is new districts that put them in opposition with other sitting representatives. If lawmakers live in the same district as one another, they either have to move, retire or compete for the new seat.

Legislative staff determined that 38 House incumbents would be districted together under the second proposal, including two districts where three representatives would be in opposition.

In the Senate, there would be 20 incumbents districted together.

What would these maps mean for Iowa’s congressional delegation?

One of the most significant changes between the first and second proposals is the makeup of Iowa’s congressional map.

“It appears to be a more dramatic reshuffling of those congressional districts than for most of the legislative districts,” observed Sen. Nate Boulton, D-Des Moines.

Iowa currently has three Republicans and one Democrat in the U.S. House. The first, rejected proposal would have created a new district that included both Linn and Johnson counties — population centers and, traditionally, Democratic strongholds in the state. The second proposal puts Linn and Johnson in two different districts, removing the potential for a safer blue seat.

Even so, that doesn’t mean this proposal would be smooth sailing for Iowa’s Republicans in D.C. The map puts Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the 3rd District, where Rep. Cindy Axne currently serves. If these maps are approved, Miller-Meeks would either need to challenge Axne or move into the newly drawn 1st District.