Rochester redistricting effort adds voting precincts with final approval

Mar. 24—ROCHESTER — The final local approval of a

new map

for Rochester City Council wards includes the addition of new voting precinct boundaries.

While the city redraws ward boundaries every 10 years to improve the overall population balance in each section of the city represented by an elected council member, the precincts are largely administrative.

Rochester Management Analyst Heather Heyer said city staff generally followed state guidance regarding precinct population, which calls for 1,500 to 2,000 residents to be included in each area.

"I believe our range is between 500 to the top end of 2,100," she said, pointing out some precincts had to be smaller due to existing state legislative boundaries.

The new map increases the number of Rochester precincts from 52 to 80.

The new voting precincts will be used in elections starting Aug. 9, which means the May 24 special primary election for the First Congressional District seat will be held under the precinct maps used in past elections.

City elections for Wards 1, 3 and 5 will be held this year based on the new boundaries, with potential primaries scheduled for Aug. 9 and the general election on Nov. 8.

Council members in Wards 2, 4 and 6 will maintain representation of their redefined wards through their current terms, which end following the 2024 elections.

Based on the 2020 census population of 121,395, the ideal size for each of Rochester's six council wards is 20,233 people.

Prior to changing the boundaries, ward populations ranged from 18,983 in Ward 6 to 22,051 in Ward 3. The new map narrows the range from 19,586 in Ward 3 to 20,783 in Ward 1.

The new map means 10,776 Rochester residents — 8.85% of the population — will be in a new ward.

With the city wards and voting precincts in place, the

Olmsted County Planning Department will start creating maps

to balance populations in county commissioner districts. The county map must be completed by April 26.