For the first time in its history, the Nampa is required to establish council districts. On Monday, the City Council voted on whether the new map proposal complied with state requirements.
Until now, the six seats were elected “at large” by voters within city limits. Starting next election cycle, in November 2023, Nampa voters will only be allowed to vote for council members in their own district.
The requirement comes from a 2020 Idaho statute and applies to cities of more than 100,000. According to the latest census data, Nampa has 100,200 residents.
The districts must be roughly the same size, with the biggest district no more than 10% larger than the smallest one.
Nampa resident Stephanie Binns served as a member of the Mayor-appointed Districting Committee and helped create the new proposed map.
“This was the only map on which the numbers worked for the to meet constitutional muster,“ she said at the meeting.
Praising the committee for their work, City Councilmember Victor Rodriguez said he did not like the new requirement.
“I'm really not in agreement with what the legislators did to our to our city because it's going to throw away some good people that's on this council now,” he said.
In a 5-1 vote, the council agreed the proposed new map was in compliance with the constitutional standard. The City will be able to redraw its district maps at the next census count in 2030.
