Federal judge receives final recommendations for voting districts

Dr. Bernard Grofman has submitted a final recommendation for changes in voting districts in San Juan County. The recommendation will form the basis of an anticipated December 15 ruling by Federal judge Robert Shelby. The recommendation will create three new voting districts for San Juan County, with Native Americans making up the majority population in two of the three districts. Blanding is split between two districts, with Blanding City residents making up 24 percent of district 1 and 43 percent of district 2. District boundaries for the school board are similar in many respects to the current boundaries, with two districts predominantly Native American, two districts with a Native American minority and a swing district that is 65.1 percent Native American.
Dr. Grofman recommends that elections will be held in all eight voting districts in 2018. The adjusted recommendation puts all of the current incumbents in separate voting districts.
Dr. Grofman's report is attached to this story and a video explaining more is available at the San Juan Record Facebook page.