Law to Create Fairer County Commissioner Maps Goes Into Effect

DENVER, CO –  A new law to improve the county commissioner redistricting process goes into effect August 12, 2026. 

HB26-1038, the County Commissioner Redistricting Integrity Act, is sponsored by Senator Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs, and Representatives Amy Paschal, D-Colorado Springs, and Chad Clifford, D-Centennial. It ensures that redistricting for county commissioner districts is done fairly, without influence from sitting county commissioners. 

“Voters should choose their representatives – not the other way around,” said Snyder. “Under current law, county commissioners can draw their own district maps, creating a clear conflict of interest. This new law is a win for Coloradans, ensuring that county commissioner redistricting will be done in a fair and impartial manner by an independent commission, with opportunities for community input.”  

“Elected officials should not be able to draw their own maps to benefit themselves, and this law maintains local control while requiring independence in the county commissioner redistricting process,” said Paschal. “Representative democracy matters, and this law will help create a fairer, more equitable county commissioner redistricting process that better represents the county’s voters.” 

“Our law strengthens public trust and input in the county commissioner redistricting process, so the voice of Coloradans is front and center,” said Clifford. “Representative democracy matters, which is why this law restricts county commissioners from drawing their own district maps and choosing who is allowed to vote for each candidate.” 

Under current law, county commissioners' maps are the only partisan political office not drawn by an independent redistricting commission, meaning elected county commissioners can draw their own district maps. 

HB26-1038 improves transparency and integrity while upholding local control. It requires the redistricting committee that draws the district maps to be independent of the board of county commissioners and have a bipartisan composition to ensure fair districts are drawn. 

The independent commission will be required to create and make available a competitiveness formula for public comment.

The board of county commissioners may reject a district map that does not meet statutory requirements. The board also retains the ability to remove members from the independent redistricting commission if they are disruptive or insufficiently engaged.