The 2010 Census found that Pinal County’s population is at 375,770, which, by state law, stipulates the county must add two new supervisors to its governing board, according to Joe Pyritz, a county spokesman.
Supervisor Martyn’s district now encompasses Apache Junction, Gold Canyon and much of San Tan Valley, but when new lines are drawn it is most likely District 2 will no longer encompass much of San Tan Valley, he says.
“That is correct, a couple of the drawings having Apache Junction, Gold Canyon and a very small portion of San Tan Valley, but we knew that was going go to happen,” he said.
Up to this point, much discussion has not occurred and constituent contact has been limited on the proposed map, according to Supervisor Martyn.
“At the supervisor level we haven’t really had a chance to talk about it yet at the work-session level; as you know, we can’t call each other up and talk about it,” he pointed out.
Once public hearings occur — which are planned throughout September — Supervisor Martyn expects to hear a lot more from residents.
“I have heard very little input from citizens,” he said. “But, again, we haven’t had any public meetings.”
According to Mr. Pyritz, the change from three to five supervisors will occur in 2013 following the November 2012 elections.
“People will have their input on these maps,” he said. “Any time that you go from three to five there are going to be some serious changes to that.”
Bruce Adelson, CEO of Federal Compliance Consulting, was hired by the county to aid in the redistricting and drawing of the proposed maps, Mr. Pyritz said.
Sidebars:
Why Redistrict?
According to Arizona law — Arizona Revised Statute 11-211 — counties with a population of 175,000 or more persons must have a board of five supervisors. As of the 2010 Census, Pinal County’s population now stands at 375,770. ARS 11-212 requires counties to re-draw its supervisory districts the same year Census data is officially released.
Source: Pinal County Elections Department
Majority-Minority Districts
Federal law stipulates each elective district must have proportionate demographic levels allowing minority populations a chance to vote for a candidate of their choosing. Known commonly as majority-minority districts laws stipulate:
- Districts in which racial and ethnic minority voters can elect candidates of their choice
- Significant analysis must be performed in order to identify which districts are majority-minority districts; demographic data along with voting patterns must be considered
- Historically, two of Pinal County’s three supervisory districts have been majority-minority districts.
Source: Pinal County Elections Department
San Tan Valley meeting
The redistricting meeting for the new proposed district boundaries in San Tan Valley is 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23 at Walker Butte Elementary School, 29697 N. Desert Willow Blvd.
Source: Pinal County press release
