The commission charged with redrawing Maine's congressional and legislative maps is hoping to have draft proposals in hand over the next couple of weeks.
The bipartisan reapportionment commission has about a month and a half to redraw the maps and present them to the Legislature for approval.
The truncated timeline is because of delays in U.S. Census data, which show that the commission will likely have to shift roughly 23,000 Mainers from the 1st Congressional District into the 2nd District – in addition to redrawing maps for legislative seats.
During a meeting Wednesday, Republicans said that they could have proposals for congressional and state Senate districts ready as soon as next week, but Democrats said they may need more time.
The commission is expected to begin taking public comment soon, but a public hearing is tentatively scheduled for some time after Labor Day.
Both parties will likely present their proposals in the interim.
