Redistricting Plan Would Shift State House Representation for Apple Valley

Apple Valley would continue to be located entirely within one state Senate district, and split into two state House districts under the legislative redistricting plan released Tuesday by the Minnesota Supreme Court-appointed special redistricting panel.

But the geographic layout of those House districts would change who represents some Apple Valley residents at the Minnesota Capitol.

The newly proposed state Senate District 57 would be mostly the same as the current District 37, which includes Apple Valley, Rosemount and a piece of Burnsville and is represented by Sen. Chris Gerlach, a Republican who lives in Apple Valley.

The district would lose its current piece of Burnsville, and add the town of Coates and a portion of Lakeville, according to a redistricting report.

District 57 would be split into two state House districts, 57A and 57B, reminiscent of the current 37A and 37B House districts represented by Tara Mack and Kurt Bills, Republicans who live in Apple Valley and Rosemount, respectively.

They would take a different shape, however, than the current 37A and 37B House districts, splitting Apple Valley north-south rather than the current east-west.

District 57A would cover approximately the southern half of Apple Valley and the newly added portion of Lakeville. District 57B would cover approximately the northern half of Apple Valley, as well as Rosemount and Coates.

Apple Valley also will remain in the Second Congressional District, with the rest of Dakota County; that district currently is represented by U.S. Rep. John Kline, a Republican from Lakeville.

Previously, the areas of Dakota County bordering St. Paul were part of District 4, represented by Democrat Betty McCollum.

Farther north, District 4 will now extend eastward from St. Paul into Woodbury and Stillwater, areas that were formerly part of District 6, which is represented by Republican Michelle Bachmann. That could have touched off a major election battle between the liberal McCollum and the conservative Bachmann. Instead, Bachmann announced today that she will run again to represent District 6; members of the U.S. House are not required to reside in the district they represent.

A map from the panel shows how the 2012 redistricting proposal compares to the congressional redistricting in 2002.

Redistricting comes every 10 years, after the U.S. Census. The law requires all districts to be similar in population.

The panel was appointed to determine the redistricting because Gov. Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature were not able to agree on boundaries, according to the Star Tribune.

Search for your address within the redistricting plan here.