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Description
House Select Committee on Redistricting- October 27, 2021- House Hearing Room I
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C
Just
an
overall
picture
and
given
the
compressed
timeline
this
cycle,
I
feel
like
we're
we're
on
pace
for
where
we
need
to
be.
At
this
point,
I've
enjoyed
spending
time
with
many
of
you
and
look
forward
to
many
more
discussions,
as
this
committee
continues,
its
work
toward
the
creation
of
fair
and
constitutional
redistricting
plans
and
just
wanted
to
point
out
an
upcoming
deadline
november
12
2021,
it's
a
friday
at
noon,
is
the
deadline
for
the
submission
of
outside
plans.
C
The
guidelines
are
on
the
web
page
of
the
committee,
and
I
would
encourage
folks
that
want
to
submit
outside
plans
that
they
not
wait
once
they
have
a
plan
drafted
that
they
contact
a
member
get
the
member
the
information
they
need
to
be
able
to
submit
it
to
the
committee
by
that
noon.
Deadline
again
on
november
12th,
speaking
of
the
webpage,
the
website
is
still
the
best
place
to
keep
up
with
the
committee.
C
The
easiest
way
to
find
it
is
to
go
to
capital.tn.gov
under
house
committees,
the
last
committee's
redistricting,
that
is
the
best
place
to
keep
up
to
date
with
the
committee
and
my
contact
information
is
also
there
and
I'm
always
happy
to
answer
questions
to
the
extent
that
I
can
with
that.
Mr
speaker,
and
with
your
permission
I
would
be
happy
to
transition
us
into
the
public
comment
portion
of
the
meeting.
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D
First,
making
sure
that
the
four
large
counties
are
not
split
up
such
that
they
dilute
the
vote,
making
sure
that
the
four
counties
are
not
split
up
in
such
a
way
that
they
particularly
dilute
or
undervalue
the
african-american
voters
related
to
the
first
two
points.
We
are
very
much
aware
about
national
conversation
around
splitting
up
and
potentially
gerrymandering
davidson
county
as
well
as
shelby
county.
D
Another
concern
is
that
the
new
congressional
district
maps
should
put
hardiman
county
in
the
same
counties
as
madison
haywood,
fayette,
tipton,
lauderdale,
dyer
gibson
and
the
other
rural
counties
in
the
tennessee
delta
area.
Right
now,
hardiman
is
in
the
same
congressional
district
as
williamson
county,
which
seems
a
little
peculiar.
D
Another
concern
is,
is
one
raised
by
our
members
concerning
maury
county
being
split
up
into
two
districts.
The
fourth,
as
well
as
the
seventh
columbia,
is
in
the
seventh
and
the
rest
of
mari
is
in
a
congressional
district
that
goes
all
the
way
to
bradley
county,
just
at
the
edge
of
hamilton
county
in
east
tennessee.
D
Similarly,
our
members
feel
that
anderson
county,
where
oakwood
oak
ridge
resides,
should
be
in
the
same
district
as
knox
county.
They
share
commuters
proximity
as
well
as
an
identity.
Finally,
we
ask
that
you
consider
eliminating
prison
gerrymandering
in
the
in
the
redistricting
process.
Thank
you.
A
A
E
E
I
want
to
clone
clue
with
my
own
bias,
since
I'm
approaching
three
minutes
having
the
legislature
decide
on
district
apps
allows
them
to
protect
their
positions
by
selecting
with
reasonable
certainty,
those
who
will
vote
for
them.
This
is
an
overwhelming
conflict
of
interest.
I
want
you
all
to
compete
for
my
vote.
E
F
We
heard
it
over
and
over
people
distrust
what
happens
to
their
government
when
they
don't
get
the
unified
voice
that
they
think
they
can
receive
if
their
whole
county
is
represented.
So
I
urge
you
all.
I
know
that
it's
not
possible
to
keep
every
one
of
the
95
counties
hole
in
this
process,
but
I
urge
you
all
to
minimize
that
as
a
way
to
maximize
public
trust.
G
G
The
discussions
have
been
around
possibly
breaking
up,
dixon
or
cheatham
counties,
which
would
mean
a
much
stronger
chance
of
a
democrat
winning
and
would
not
necessarily
reflect
the
values
and
the
people
of
the
fifth
district.
Overall,
if
davidson
county
were
to
be
broken
up,
it
would
mean
less
gerrymandering,
a
more
competitive
election
and
a
better
reflection
of
the
fifth
district's
population
at
large.
G
So
let's
break
up
davidson
county's
population
in
the
fifth
in
the
fifth
district.
Otherwise,
if
we
redistrict
to
keep
davidson
county
whole,
that
would
in
fact
be
the
very
definition
of
gerrymandering
redistricting
in
favor
of
the
democratic
party
which
has
been
ruling
here
in
congress
for
what
145
years
now
anyway,
a
few
more
points.
G
People
in
the
outlying
communities,
like
bellevue,
west
nashville,
jolton,
bell,
mead
vorst,
forest
hills,
oak
hill,
berry
hill,
goodlettsville,
old
hickory,
white's,
creek,
antioch
madison
are
completely
dominated
by
the
inner
city
of
nashville,
where
a
majority
of
the
population
of
the
fifth
district
reside.
Tennessee's
population
has
increased
by
almost
8.9
percent
since
2010
census.
G
Why
would
people
want
to
move
here?
Booming
tourist
economy
is
driving
the
building
frenzy,
but
underlying
this
is
the
freedoms
we
enjoy
here
that
other
places
lack
because
of
freedoms
of
belief
and
conservative
values.
Tennessee
is
a
christian
state
and
values.
Conservative
policies
and
practices,
people
in
a
far
away
places
understand
and
admire
the
effects
of
such
policies
and
practices,
which
is
why
they
want
to
live
here,
work
here
and
raise
their
children
here.
H
H
I
went
to
university
on
the
west
end
in
1981,
and
I've
lived
in
nashville
for
the
past
45
years
or
40
years.
I
was
a
partner
at
jc,
bradford
and
I've
been
a
healthcare
entrepreneur
for
the
past
12
years,
trying
to
create
jobs.
Sadly
I
put
my
house
up
for
sale
on
richland
avenue
recently
and
have
rented
an
apartment
in
franklin.
One
of
the
main
reasons
I
did
this
is
that
I
don't
feel
like
I'm
being
represented
properly
locally
or,
more
importantly,
in
congress
in
dc.
H
I
knew
in
2010
that
there
would
be
not
be
representation
for
someone
like
me
who
believes
in
limited
government,
reasonable
taxes
and
prudent
advocacy
of
free
enterprise
when
supposed
blue
dog
democrat
jim
cooper,
who
knows
health
care
and
was
a
hold
out
on
the
affordable
care
act
folded
like
a
house
of
cards
in
the
vote.
Why
was
that?
Well
because
he
was
afraid
of
megan
barry
running
for
a
seat
from
the
left.
H
Well,
there's
no
chance
to
have
consequences
for
anyone,
not
on
the
progressive
freight
train
in
bna
at
least.
Let
us
have
a
chance
to
have
a
level
playing
field
by
not
having
a
monolith
in
davidson
county
and
for
the
record,
I'm
all
for
safety
nets,
all
for
them
all
right.
It
took
me
30
seconds
to
look
up
two
other
southern
cities
on
the
world
wide
web.
H
This
morning,
atlanta
dekalb
county
is
split
four
to
six
ways,
depending
on
how
you
do
the
math
and
charlotte
mecklenburg
county
is
divided
in
two
and
it's
about
to
be
three
ways.
Okay,
all
this
conjecture
on
protecting
the
nashville's
voice
in
congress
is
a
straw
man.
It
is
because
of
effective
state
economic
policies
and
the
inherent
characteristics
of
nashville
as
a
financial,
logistical
and
educational
powerhouse
that
has
existed
since
the
late
19th
century.
Okay,
vanderbilt
1875
1877
the
same
time
that
this
has
been
a
democratic
stronghold
for
all
those
years.
H
In
fact,
the
opposite
is
true:
it
can
have
more
voices
in
congress
if
it
has
proper
representation
with
a
chance
for
all
voices
to
be
heard,
not
just
the
left
that
drowns
out
all
discord
discourse
I'm
running
in
franklin
for
a
reason
we
may
be
willing
to
return
to
davidson
county
if
we
can
have
a
chance
to
vote
in
a
congressional
contest
that
is
contested.
One
of
the
things
that
made
has
made
america
great
is
we
have
a
two-party
system,
not
a
bifurcated
multi-party
system
like
a
european
model.
H
I
I
But
three
years
ago
I
watched
the
religious
exemption
be
removed,
and
then
I
saw
in
nashville
that
our
health
department
was
pushing
the
state
to
do
the
same
thing,
and
then
I
saw
in
congress
a
bill
to
remove
it
nationwide.
This
is
the
first
time
I
ever
actually
learned
anything
about
politics.
I
figured
out
who
my
representative
was
and
I
called
jim
cooper,
and
I
told
him
I
strongly
opposed
it
and
I
wrote
him
an
email,
but
he
ignored
me.
I
I
I
would
just
ask
you
to
remember
me,
remember
my
kids
and
the
future
that
I'm
hoping
I
can
provide
for
them
here
in
nashville,
as
you
try
and
draw
lines
that
truly
represent,
not
just
east
nashville
of
davidson
county,
but
also
include
dixon,
county
and
chetham
county
and
those
of
us
who
are
conservative
who
live
in
davidson
county
and
we
want
our
children
to
grow
up
here.
I
really
appreciate
your
time.
Thank
you.
So
much.
A
J
J
J
We
have
three
tennessee
senate
seats,
10
tennessee
house
seats,
one
congressional
seat
and
nearly
every
local
office
here
in
davidson
county
controlled
by
one
political
group.
I
wonder
how
can
that
be
considered
equal
treatment?
The
signs
that
something
is
wrong
with
the
current
districts
are
obvious
when
you
look
at
lower
voter
turnout,
unopposed
one-party,
races
in
numerous
elections
and
a
feeling
of
it's
no
use
among
people
who
want
to
seek
elected
office.
J
A
B
B
B
So
whatever
you
all
need
to
do-
and
I
don't
have
the
answer
to
that-
I'm
glad
I'm
not
the
one
making
those
decisions,
because
it
looks
like
a
messy
hard
job,
but
I
appreciate
that
you're
going
to
do
it
and
but
I
just
appreciate
you
considering
what
I've
spoken
to
you
today.
Thank
you
very
much.
Thank.
A
K
Good
afternoon
members
of
the
committee
and
chair,
mr
chairman,
I
do
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
talk
to
you.
My
name
is
james
garrett,
chairman
of
the
davidson
county
republican
party.
As
I
travel
around
this
county
talking
with
your
constituents,
I
find
out
that
we
all
want
basically
the
same
thing.
K
K
K
L
We
are
the
are
we
being
represented
properly
jim
cooper,
is
the
tennessee
fifth
congressional
district
seat
and
has
been
the
incumbent
for
20
years
now
in
a
seat
that
is
seemingly
with
no
competition
by
any
other
party.
This
should
not
be
a
career
position
either.
Another
conversation,
the
fifth
congressional
district
seat,
has
been
controlled
by
the
democratic
party
since
1875,
that
is
145
years
in
democratic
control
are
all
areas
that
are
the
current
district
5
represent
are
all
areas
that
the
current
district
5
represents
being
represented,
cheatham,
dixon
and
davidson.
L
I
have
met
countless
refugees
from
other
states
seeking
a
proper
life
experience
representation
here
in
this
state.
They
are
seeking
the
tennessean
way
of
life
and
that
should
be
represented
in
our
choices
for
the
5th
congressional
district
seat.
Please,
on
gerrymander
the
tennessee
5th
district
seat.
Please
make
the
u.s
congressional
seat
reflect
those
tennessean
citizens,
please
break
davidson
county
up
from
having
too
much
influence
and
from
being
a
non-competitive
district,
give
equal
divide
of
davidson
county
to
our
greatest
representatives
across
the
state
who
actually
represent
our
tennessee
values.
A
M
Mr
chairman
and
committee
members,
my
name
is
carol
wendt.
I've
lived
here
for
over
30
years
in
davidson
county
right
in
the
middle,
the
heart
of
nashville,
and
I
would
I'm
thanking
you
for
allowing
me
to
speak
today.
There's
a
couple
of
points
I
would
like
to
make
regarding
redistricting
as
a
res
as
a
resident
of
davidson
county,
considering
that
the
tennessee's
population
has
increased
by
8.49
percent.
M
My
own
personal
experience
is
that
I
have
spoken
with
many
young
people
coming
to
nashville
from
other
states
to
escape
the
political
environment
they
came
from
now.
They
claim
they
did
not
expect
what
they
saw
happening
here
once
they
arrived.
It
looks
similar
to
where
they
came
from.
They
also
want
equal
representation.
M
They
just
are
a
moot
point.
I
don't
get
answers.
If
I
have
a
a
point
of
view,
they
are
never
accepted
or
never
discussed.
So
I
think
that
this
shows
that
we
need
a
different
approach.
We
need
a
robust,
competitive
environment
in
davidson
county
to
fulfill
the
one-man
one-vote
fairness
that
our
system
is
built
on.
Please
consider
my
comments
in
your
decision
on
the
redistricting.
C
A
N
N
N
N
Is
the
fifth
congressional
district
condition
constituted
to
and
structured
to
ensure
a
competitive
election?
That
question
also
has
to
be
answered
and
that's
no.
It
does
not
represent
all
the
people,
because
I've
just
cited
dixon
and
cheatham
county,
where
jim
cooper
has
very
rarely
ever
visited.
If
ever
and
no
one
in
that
county
recognizes
who
he
is.
N
N
N
A
O
O
O
O
It
means
being
aware
of
the
people
power
our
state
maintains
and
the
trust
enlisted
in
each
and
every
one
of
you
to
make
sure
communities
have
a
fair
shake
with
their
representation,
while
decisions
as
significant
as
redistricting
only
happen
ever
so
many
years.
The
impact
is
immediately
felt
the
decisions
affect
elections
as
early
as
2022
lasting
until
at
least
20
32.
O
tennesseans
can
cannot
afford
for
this
process
to
go
awry,
unfair
redistricting
maps
could
yield
communities
being
underrepresented,
more
lawsuits
at
the
taxpayers
and
lesser
access.
Fair
and
equitable
redistrict
redistricting
maps
would
mean
adequate
representation,
better
resource
communities
and
a
flourishing
tennessee.
O
P
Thank
you
so
much
for
letting
me
speak.
I
appreciate
it.
My
name
is
robin
baldry,
I'm
actually
from
williamson
county
and
I'm
here
to
specifically
talk
about
the
redistricting
of
five
from
with
davidson
county,
dixon,
county
and
chetham
county.
To
me,
representation
means
you
do
just
what
the
name
implies.
It
represents
the
landscape
of
both
the
state
they
represent.
However,
in
district
five,
it
makes
up
davidson,
dixon
and
genome,
as
we
know,
due
to
the
increasing
population
size
of
nashville.
P
What
you
have,
in
my
perspective,
is
one
county
dictating
the
representation
of
two
other
counties,
counties
that
have
fundamental
values
that
differ
from
the
city
of
nashville,
I'm
here
as
a
20-year
resident
of
the
state
of
tennessee
and
a
concerned.
Citizen
seeking
fair
representation
for
all
breaking
up
davidson
county
into
equal
parts
gives
the
opportunity
for
fair
elections
with
someone
who
represents
the
overall
landscape
of
their
district.
P
So
you
don't
have
an
urban
voting,
so
you
don't
have
an
urban
center
voting
on
rural
tennesseans,
and
I
know
some
of
the
redistricting
may
come
into
williamson
county
which
I've
lived
there.
Like
I
said
for
20
years,
64
percent
of
our
county
is
rural
and
I
have
friends
who
live
in
chetham
county.
I
have
colleagues
who
live
in
dixon
county
and
it
definitely
is
very
different
than
davidson
county.
Our
county
is
currently
going
through
a
redistricting
that
I
think
the
map
has
already
been
picked
and
it's
coming
to
our
county
commission.
P
P
A
Q
Q
I
am
deeply
concerned
about
the
current
state
of
competitive
elections
here
in
tennessee,
and
especially
when
it
comes
to
the
you
know
the
redistricting
coming
up,
I
believe
in
fair
and
honest
representation.
I
believe
that
the
current
congressional
lines
we
simply
have
gerrymandering
when
it
comes
to
davidson
county,
a
county
that
basically
dictates
how
dixon
and
cheatham
are
represented,
even
though
those
two
counties
do
not
share
the
same
values
that
davidson
county
does.
Q
Q
I
love
nashville.
I
grew
up
in
the
area
I'm
proud
to
be
from
here.
I
boast
about
my
native
status.
However,
it
has
become
clear
that
the
values
of
davidson
county
differ
from
the
values
of
the
rest
of
the
state
and
no
better
example
was
how
nashville
handled
the
coven
19
pandemic.
I
left
nashville.
During
that
time
I
gave
up
my
home
and
I
moved
back
to
williamson
county,
where
I'm
originally
from
because
of
how
nashville
handled
these
things,
I
lost.
One
of
my
train
of
thought.
Q
Q
R
According
to
recent
data,
we
all
know
that
tennessee
is
almost
90
plus
percent
rule.
We
know
that
these
tennessee
rural
counties
represent
a
quiet
electoral
power
in
our
state.
It
is
this
legislative,
gerrymandering
gerrymandering
that
will
lead
to
the
nullification
of
the
individual
vote.
This
vote
nullification
is
blind
to
race,
class
and
socio-economical
status.