CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Redistricting is underway in Clarksville and Montgomery County, with new lines being drawn for City Council, County Commission and CMCSS School Board elections. The new maps are now available, and a public comment period begins today for residents to weigh in.
The maps were presented to city and county officials last week by Regional Planning Commission Director Jeffrey Tyndall and Montgomery County Administrator of Elections Elizabeth Black, who have overseen the redistricting process.
The process uses data from the 2020 Census to maintain as equal a population as possible in each district and ward, to prevent one vote having more influence than another. Each district is supposed to have approximately 10,000 people.
When asked about the proposed changes, both Tyndall and Black said the explosive population growth in North Clarksville was the driving force for many of their decisions.
“There were very few districts that didn’t have a lot of change, just because of the sheer increase in population,” Black said. “When you are adding that many people, dividing them evenly, there’s going to be a lot of change, and that’s in the city and the county.”
“I would equate it to a game of Tetris,” Tyndall added. “You’re trying to find pieces here and there that lead to the ultimate population for each district and ward.”
City wards
In the city, several significant changes have been proposed, especially for Wards 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Ward 12, which is overpopulated by nearly 9,000 people, is set to be cut in half. Much of that population will be Ward 11, which will move farther east. Wards 10 will then move in to fill that area.
“The biggest driving factor is the explosive growth we’ve had in the northern part of the county,” Black said.
County districts
County redistricting sees several southern areas moving farther north to encompass more of north Clarksville’s growing population. Several of those northward districts have shrunk considerably to account for more residents. Despite the growth, the County Redistricting Committee voted to keep Montgomery County at 21 districts.
“The growth in north Clarksville has just really shrunk those districts and wards,” Tyndall said. “District 19 used to be all Exit 4, Exit 8, Exit 1, the east side of the county. It’s now literally just Tylertown Road and Oakland Road.”
Black noted that with the new map, all 21 districts include part of the city of Clarksville except for one, that district being District 6.
Public comment period open
Maps of the new districts are available for viewing both online and at the election office on Pageant Lane.
Black told Clarksville Now that the public is welcome to submit comments on the new district lines, but large changes would be difficult to accomplish, given Clarksville’s current population.
“Some people are very passionate about local government and they want to be involved,” said Black. “Most of the time, they just want to know which one they land in. If they have questions, we can certainly answer those.”
The county is required by the state to complete redistricting by the start of the new year. The city does not have as strict of a timetable, but Tyndall said he hopes to have all redistricting done around the same time so that only one round of voter cards need to be sent out.
Both the City Council and County Commission will discuss redistricting this week at their informal meetings. The County Commission will vote on the first reading Monday, Nov. 1, and the City Council on Thursday, Nov. 5.
Correction: A previous version of this article should have said all 21 county districts include part of the city of Clarksville except for one.