City of Platteville Prepares For Redistricting Following The 2020 Census

The United States conducts a census of the entire population every 10 years. This information is used for many purposes, including the distribution of federal and state revenues and the drawing of boundaries for election districts at the federal, state and local levels.

The process by which electoral district boundaries are redrawn periodically to adjust for shifts in population and to ensure proper representation for all potential voters in a given geographic area is known as redistricting. Redistricting takes place every ten years following the census and is accomplished by states adjusting the congressional and legislative district boundaries, counties adjusting county supervisory district boundaries, and municipalities adjusting ward boundaries based on the new census data.

Due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government’s release of census population data in 2021 was significantly delayed, resulting in a compressed redistricting timeline for all counties and municipalities. A key deadline is publication of the Notice of Election which must be published by the fourth Tuesday in November. For the City of Platteville, this equates to submission to the city’s official newspaper (Platteville Journal) by Monday November 15, 2021.

On October 5th, 2021, the Grant County Board approved a tentative Supervisory District Map. Using the census data, the tentative Supervisory District map, and statutory guidance, City staff developed a proposed City of Platteville map that updates the City’s Ward and Aldermanic District boundaries. The boundary descriptions have been drafted according to the proposed map and updated within the attached draft ordinance.

The Common Council will hold a Public Hearing on the proposed map and ordinance on Tuesday, October 26 during the regular meeting.

For detailed timelines and updated information, please visit https://www.platteville.org/administration/page/2021-redistricting-process