BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum today released the following statement after signing House Bill 1504, the legislative redistricting bill that was overwhelmingly approved by the state Legislature. The North Dakota Constitution requires the Legislative Assembly to redistrict itself after each federal decennial census.
“We appreciate the Legislature and the interim redistricting committee for their fairness, diligence and transparency as they conducted this important process, which is key to ensuring a representative democracy,” Burgum said. “This historic process marked the first time since 1910 that North Dakota had grown by more than 100,000 residents in a decade and the first time since 1930 that our state had a new record high population, having experienced the fourth-highest population growth rate in the nation this past decade. North Dakota’s population growth bodes well for the future of our workforce and reflects the many families who have decided to put down roots in our great state.”
Redistricting was among the main purposes for the Legislature’s current special session, which was called by Burgum via executive order and convened on Monday. The adopted redistricting plan ensures that each of the 47 redrawn districts will hold approximately 16,500 residents, compared with about 14,500 residents in the past decade.
House Bill 1504 was approved 73-18 in the House on Tuesday and 40-7 in the Senate on Wednesday. Burgum signed the bill at 5:45 p.m. today. The governor also signed HB 1513 today.