Bemidji City Council Votes to Re-examine 2022 Redistricting Process

The Bemidji City Council plans to take a closer look at the redistricting process it used in 2022.

The move follows a court decision that ruled Beltrami County did not use proper procedures when it set new districts that year. The court has ordered a committee to restart the county’s redistricting process.

On Monday night, the city council voted 4-3 to gather quotes for a third party investigator to examine the process they used. After much discussion, councilors decided to re-examine how redistricted last year.

“[Our] new city manager [should] look at this, this is something that is of great concern to a majority of our council,” said Ward 1 Councilor Gwenia Fiskevold Gould. “I feel like that makes the most sense and is the most cost-efficient way to approach this.”

“Redistricting is serious – it affects people in our city in so many ways, so I feel very deeply about this,” said Audrey Thayer, Bemidji’s Councilor At-Large. “I’ve worked with the U.S. Constitution for 10 years of my life. I understand that right to vote, and I want [to] make sure that we have done due diligence on this issue.”

According to city attorney Katie Nolting, the council can get information that is needed to review last year’s redistricting, but they would not be able to change anything until 2032.