(1) Each county must be divided into three compact districts by the board of county commissioners. Each district must be as nearly equal in population as possible based on the redistricting population data prepared by staff of the legislative council and office of legislative legal services, or any successor offices, in accordance with section 2-2-902. In no event shall there be more than five percent deviation between the most populous and the least populous district in each county, at the time such district boundaries are adopted. Each district must be numbered consecutively and must not be subject to alteration more often than once every two years. One county commissioner must be elected from each of such districts by the voters of the whole county. If any county commissioner, during his or her term of office, moves from the district in which he or she resided when elected, his or her office thereupon becomes vacant. All proceedings by the board of county commissioners in formation of such districts not inconsistent with this section are confirmed and validated. (2) Each county having a population of seventy thousand or more that has chosen to increase the members of the board of county commissioners from three to five must be divided into three or five districts by the board of county commissioners according to the method of election described in section 30-10-306.5 (5) or (6) or section 30-10-306.7. When applicable, the board of county commissioners shall divide the county into districts in accordance with the final redistricting plan approved in accordance with section 30-10-306.4. The districts must be as nearly equal in population as possible based on the redistricting population data prepared by staff of the legislative council and office of legislative legal services, or any successor offices, in accordance with section 2-2-902. In no event shall there be more than five percent deviation between the most populous and the least populous district in each county, at the time such district boundaries are adopted. Each district must be numbered consecutively and is not subject to alteration more often than once every two years; except that, notwithstanding subsection (3) of this section, the board may alter the districts to conform to precinct boundaries that are changed in accordance with section 1-5-103 (1), based on the division of the state into congressional districts or an approved plan for redistricting of the members of the general assembly when necessary to ensure that no precinct is located in more than one district. County commissioners are elected at large or from districts according to the method of election described in section 30- 10-306.5 (5) or (6) or section 30-10-306.7. If any county commissioner required to be resident in a district moves during his or her term of office from the district in which he or she resided when elected, his or her office thereupon becomes vacant. All proceedings by the board of county commissioners in formation of such districts not inconsistent with this section are confirmed and validated. (3) When a board of county commissioners determines to change the boundaries of commissioner districts or when new districts are created, such changes or additions must be made only in odd-numbered years and, if made, must be completed by July 1 of such year, except in cases of changes resulting from either changes in county boundaries or from a final redistricting plan in accordance with section 30-10-306.4. (4) Notwithstanding subsections (1) to (3) of this section, after each federal census of the United States, each commissioner district must be established, revised, or altered to assure that such districts are as nearly equal in population as possible based on the redistricting population data prepared by staff of the legislative council and office of legislative legal services, or any successor offices, in accordance with section 2-2-902. In no event shall there be more than five percent deviation between the most populous and the least populous district in each county, at the time such district boundaries are adopted. The establishment, revision, or alteration of districts required by this subsection (4) must be completed by September 30 of the second odd- numbered year following such census. If a district is revised or altered in accordance with this subsection (4) in a manner that excludes the residence of a county commissioner elected to represent the district, the county commissioner remains eligible and may continue to hold the office of county commissioner until his or her term of office expires. (5) No less than thirty days before adopting any resolution to change the boundaries of commissioner districts, or create new commissioner districts, unless the board of county commissioners is making such changes in accordance with a final redistricting plan in accordance with section 30-10-306.4, the board of county commissioners shall hold a public hearing on the proposed district boundaries. (6) As used in this section and sections 30-10-306.1 to 30-10-306.4, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) "Advisory committee" means a group of persons who are not nonpartisan staff of the county who are assigned to assist the commission by the board of county commissioners. The board of county commissioners may delegate any functions but the final adoption of a plan to the advisory committee. The advisory committee must be composed of an equal number of members who are affiliated with the state's largest political party, affiliated with the state's second largest political party, and not affiliated with any political party. For purposes of this subsection (6)(a), the state's two largest political parties shall be determined by the number of registered electors affiliated with each political party in the state according to voter registration data published by the secretary of state for the earliest day in January of the redistricting year for which such data is published. (b) "Commission" means a county commissioner district redistricting commission, whether the commission is an independent county commissioner district redistricting commission or not. A county commissioner district redistricting commission can be made up solely of the members of a county's board of county commissioners. (c) (I) "Community of interest" means any group in a county that shares one or more substantial interests that may be the subject of action by the board of county commissioners, is composed of a reasonably proximate population, and should be considered for inclusion within a single district for purposes of ensuring its fair and effective representation. (II) Such interests include but are not limited to matters reflecting: (A) Shared public policy concerns of urban, rural, agricultural, industrial, or trade areas; and (B) Shared public policy concerns such as education, employment, environment, public health, transportation, water needs and supplies, and issues of demonstrable regional significance. (III) Groups that may comprise a community of interest include racial, ethnic, and language minority groups, subject to compliance with sections 30-10-306.3 (1)(b) and (4)(b), which subsections protect against the denial or abridgement of the right to vote due to a person's race or language minority group. (IV) "Community of interest" does not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates. (d) "Independent commission" means an independent county commissioner district redistricting commission created in accordance with section 30-10-306.1 (2). (e) "Plan" means a depiction of the boundaries of county commissioner districts. (f) "Population" means the total population data referenced in section 2-2-901 and prepared by the staff of the legislative council and office of legislative legal services, or any successor offices, in accordance with section 2-2-902 (4). (g) "Race" or "racial" means a category of race or ethnic origin documented in the federal decennial census. (h) "Redistricting year" means the second odd-numbered year following the year in which the federal decennial census is taken or the year following a county electing to have any number of its county commissioners not elected by the voters of the whole county. (i) "Staff" means the nonpartisan staff of the county who are assigned to assist the commission by the board of county commissioners.
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