(Chinook) – On Wednesday, three voters challenged the County Commissioner district map for Blaine County for violating the U.S. Constitution’s one-person, one-vote rule. The one-person, one-vote rule requires that when voters elect officials to represent them in districted bodies like county commissions, the districts must be roughly equal in population. This ensures that every person’s vote weighs the same, regardless of where they live. The suit was filed in federal district court.
In Blaine County, voters elect three commissioners from separate districts. The complaint alleges that under the existing district map, the population variation between districts exceeds constitutional limits.
Blaine County adopted a district-based county commissioner map in 2002, after a federal court found that the at-large system used previously diluted American Indian votes.
Plaintiffs ask the court to declare the current map unconstitutional, prohibit its use in 2028 and any future elections, and require Blaine County to implement a plan that equalizes district populations.
