Are the State of Iowa's redistricting rules hurting rural residents?

(Left to right): State Representative Bob Hager of Dorchester and State Senator Merlin Bartz of Grafton

State Senator Merlin Bartz of Grafton says he has put 30,000 miles on his pickup truck since last fall and will probably put another 30,000 miles on the pickup by the end of this year.

That's because the redistricting of State Senate districts has put Bartz into a district that stretches from nearly Mason City on the west to Burr Oak and Bluffton townships in Winneshiek County on the east.  State Senate District 26 includes all or portions of seven counties.

On Friday morning Bartz was back in his pickup truck again to hold a town hall meeting at the Country Express near Burr Oak.  Winneshiek County Redistricting Commission member Ray Torresdal asked Bartz about the redistricting process.

Bartz replied that the State of Iowa's rule that cities could not be divided as part of the redistricting process meant that rural legislative districts get hurt.  That's because, while all State Senate districts have 61,000 residents, legislators representing city districts can easily reach those 61,000 people, while rural lawmakers have to spend hours on the road.

Bartz says he doesn't know if the State of Iowa will change those rules in time for the next round of redistricting after the 2020 U.S. Census.  But he does know one thing: "My pickup is going to be shot."