Washington, DC — Today, the Kansas Senate passed their gerrymandered congressional map with only Republican support. The map would split apart the Kansas City metro region and pair portions of it with rural parts of the state, going against the wishes of many Kansans who participated in public hearings leading up to the release of the map.  

Republican map drawers gave the public less than 24 hours to submit comments on the gerrymandered map. In response, Kansans voiced their opposition and made it clear that they were not happy that Republicans ignored hundreds of public comments submitted prior to the map’s release, which called for Wyandotte and Johnson Counties to be kept together, recognizing their similar demographic, economic, and historical ties. 

Splitting the Kansas City metro area – the most populous and diverse region of the state – would disproportionately affect communities of color and diminish the political power of this community of interest. This week’s headlines about the gerrymandered map speak for themselves. Here’s a sample of what we’ve seen: 

FOX 4: Kansas redistricting raises concern of gerrymandering [01/21/2022]

KANSAS REFLECTOR: Witnesses throw water on Kansas House’s congressional map carving into 3rd District [01/20/2022]

TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL: Residents, advocates decry proposed Kansas congressional maps as lawmakers advance GOP-authored proposal [01/20/2022]

THE KANSAS CITY STAR: KS Senate advances congressional map reducing minority voter influence in 3rd District [01/20/2022]

THE KANSAS CITY STAR: Kansas Republican redistricting plan splits Kansas City metro, dilutes Democratic vote [01/19/2022]

KANSAS REFLECTOR: Kansas Republicans introduce map to divide KC metro, place Lawrence in 1st District [01/18/2022]

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