MORGANTOWN — The state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Redistricting has announced the format for public hearings on redistricting, which are set to begin July 27.
Locally, a meeting is set for 6-8 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Monongalia County Extension Services & 4H Center at Mylan Park.
These are listening events for the public to share their thoughts about congressional and legislative boundary lines, the committee said in a release. The state Constitution requires the Legislature to redraw these lines every 10 years, using U.S. Census data to reflect any population changes.
Due to the delay in the federal government releasing census data, specific population numbers will not be available at these events, and the committee will not be presenting any proposed maps. Legislators will not respond to questions during the public hearing, following House Rule 84, which governs public hearings.
All 12 in-person public hearings will take place from 6-8 p.m. ,with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. to begin the sign-in process.
Anyone who would like to be guaranteed an opportunity to speak during the hearings will need to be present to sign in by 6 p.m. The events will begin shortly after 6 p.m., with welcome remarks and a reminder of the procedures.
The number of people who sign in to speak at each hearing will be divided by the amount of time available for the event to determine the amount of time each person will have to speak, in line with House Rule 84.
A red light will indicate when each speaker has reached the time limit, and the speaker will be asked to conclude remarks before announcing the next speaker.
All attendees will be given an informational brochure with reminders of how the redistricting process works according to the state Constitution, as well as information about how to provide suggestions throughout the process, all of which may be found at wvlegislature.gov/redistricting.cfm.
The other 11 hearings are scheduled for the following dates and locations, and are subject to change:
• July 27: Putnam County Judicial Building, courtroom, Room 202, 12093 Winfield Road, Winfield.
• July 29: Chief Logan Lodge Hotel & Conference Center, 1000 Conference Center Drive, Logan
• Aug. 3: Tamarack, Gov. Hulett C. Smith Theater, 1 Tamarack Park, Beckley
• Aug. 4: Summersville Arena & Conference Center, 3 Armory Way, Summersville
• Aug. 10: Stonewall Resort State Park, Birch Room, 149 State Park Trail, Roanoke
• Aug. 17: Martinsburg Sheriff’s Office Meeting Room, 510 S Raleigh Street, Martinsburg
• Aug. 18: Keyser VFD Station 2, 1550 Cornell Street, Keyser
• Aug. 24: Wheeling Independence Hall, 1528 Market Street, Wheeling
• Aug. 26: Cabell County Courthouse, Courtroom 1, Judge Paul Farrell’s courtroom, 750 5th Avenue, Huntington
• Sept. 9: The Culture Center, Building 9, Capitol Complex, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard. E., Charleston
• Sept. 16: Judge Donald F. Black Courthouse Annex, 317 Market Street, Parkersburg
Dates for three virtual public hearings will be announced at a later date. Once the initial plans are completed by the Joint Committee on Redistricting, the House and Senate will generate the necessary reports and maps to draft redistricting bills.
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