CO HB1038

Summary of HB 26-1038: County Commissioner Redistricting

• Requires boards of county commissioners to appoint independent redistricting commissions composed of equal numbers of members from the two largest political parties and unaffiliated voters, with sitting county commissioners prohibited from serving on the commission.

• Eliminates advisory committees from the redistricting process and transfers their functions to staff and the independent commissions.

• Mandates that commissions adopt a composite formula generating a numerical competitiveness measure expressed as a percentage, prioritizing "highly competitive" districts (≤5%) followed by "moderately competitive" districts (>5% and ≤10%).

• Restricts communications between commission members, staff, and county commissioners regarding district mapping to public meetings only, with documentation requirements for any administrative communications.

• Applies to all counties (including home rule counties) with populations over 70,000 that elect commissioners by district, taking effect August 12, 2026, and governing redistricting plans adopted after that date.