(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - After a prolonged process, the Alaska Redistricting Board approved new legislative districts on July 14th. The current legislative map under which the 2012 elections were held had been thrown out by the Alaska Supreme Court on the grounds that they were in violation of the Alaska Constitution. The Board was ordered to redraw the districts which resulted in the new plan adopted Sunday.

According the Board’s attorney, the adopted plan will be submitted to the Alaska Supreme Court for its approval no later than Thursday, July 18th. If the new plan is approved by the Court and barring any successful legal challenges, the new districts will be in effect for the 2014 election.

Senate District Q, which encompasses Ketchikan and 26 other communities in Southeast Alaska, will become Senate District R and will include the communities of Petersburg, Kupreanof, and Tenakee Springs.

Click on the map to view a large map.

Sen. Bert Stedman commented today on his blog noting that Haines and Klukwan will no longer be in his Senate district and instead will be paired with Skagway, Juneau and Gustavus in the new Senate District Q (currently Senate District P represented by Senator Egan). Stedman's district will now be Senate District R and will include Sitka, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Metlakatla and Hydaburg.

Stedman said, "I had the pleasure of representing Petersburg and Kupreanof in the State Senate from 2003 until the 2012 election. My family has always had close ties to Petersburg and Kupreanof and I welcome these communities back. I also look forward to getting to know the residents of Tenakee Springs."

For the remainder of the 28th Legislature which includes the upcoming legislative session that convenes in January of 2014, Stedman will continue to represent the residents of the existing Senate District Q including Haines and Klukwan. Stedman will officially represent the new Senate District R when the 29th Legislature begins in January of 2015.

Stedman is not up for reelection in 2014 as he was elected to a four year term in 2012 and the population difference between Senate Districts Q and R is only 9.3%. There must be at least a 25% difference in constituency between the two districts in order to require a Senate term to be truncated. Because of truncation, in 2014 an election will be held in 14 of the 20 new Senate districts.

Ketchikan was previously in House District 33 and Senate District Q. House District 33 and Senate District Q will now include downtown Juneau, Douglas, Haines and Skagway. Ketchikan will now be in House District 36.

House District 36 will include Hydaburg, Hyder, Ketchikan, Loring, Metlakatla, Saxman and Wrangell.

House District 35 will include Angoon, Coffman Cove. Craig, Edna Bay, Elfin Cove, Game Creek, Hobart Bay, Hollis, Hoonah, Kake, Kasaan. Klawock. Kupreanof, Naukati Bay, Pelican, Petersburg, Point Baker, Port Alexander, Port Protection, Sitka, Tenakee Springs, Thorne Bay, Whale Pass and Whitestone Logging Camp.

Edited by Mary Kauffman

On the Web:

District Descriptions
http://www.akredistricting.org

Sources of News: 

Sen. Bert Stedman
http://bertstedman.com

Alaska Redistricting Board
http://www.akredistricting.org

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Ketchikan, Alaska

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