The Kansas House has approved a plan favored
by conservative Republican leaders for redrawing the state’s four
congressional districts.
The House’s 64-51 vote Saturday sent the measure to the Senate.
Senate President Steve Morris, a moderate Hugoton Republican,
said he won’t block a vote, but he’s skeptical that the plan can
pass his chamber.
A key feature of the map is how it splits Lawrence, home to the
University of Kansas, between two districts.
The city is now divided between the 2nd District of eastern
Kansas and the 3rd District, centered on the Kansas City
metropolitan area.
The proposal would keep part of Lawrence in the 2nd but put
parts into 1st District with rural communities in central and
western Kansas that are 400 miles or more away.
