Montana officials drawing the state’s new political boundaries are set to pick a final congressional map Saturday. The chair of the commission may use her tie-breaking vote if members can’t find consensus.
The Districting and Apportionment Commission was originally scheduled to pick a single congressional map a week ago, but commissioners were stuck in a deadlock.
The two Democrats and two Republicans on the commission will present their proposals for compromise at the meeting.
The most contentious debate between commissioners and the public has come down to whether the two districts should be politically competitive and how to define compactness. The commission’s nonpartisan chair, Maylinn Smith, said that she will use her tie-breaking vote if necessary to advance a single map.
A final congressional map must be finalized by Nov. 14.
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