MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Vermont lawmakers have taken a major step to finalizing a new legislative redistricting plan.
By a 138-4 margin, House lawmakers unanimously approved a plan that takes into account the shifting of populations from Rutland and Windsor counties to the Burlington area. The plan calls for adding one House seat to Burlington and eliminating one in Rutland County that now serves the Mount Holly-Shrewsbury area.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle praised the historic measure for avoiding the kid of messy, partisan gerrymandering of districts so often seen in other states like Texas.
"The redistricting process in most states is the most political of political battles and it is because it defines what the map is going to look like the next 10 years. I think what was different about this process was the committee remembered who this is really about. It's about the people of the state of Vermont," said Rep. Shap Smith, D-Vt. House Speaker.
"This plan keeps towns whole and provides most Vermonters an opportunity for fair representation in the Vermont House of Representatives for the next decade," said Rep. Don Turner, R-Vt. House Minority Leader.
The House plan will now be sent back to communities for fine-tuning before final approval. The Senate is working out its districts separately.
