Lincoln, NEB- Senator Rob Clements, who currently represents Cass County and Conestoga School District in the State Legislature, has introduced an amendment to the proposed legislative maps.

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau is tasked with providing an accurate count of every person in the country. This count is then used to allocate funding for public schools, distribution of money, and drawing the district lines for our elected officials.

On Friday, the Legislature passed a bipartisan map for the State Legislative districts with a vote of 43 – 5. This map would connect Cass County with rural Lancaster County, a segment of Gage County and part of the Cheney neighborhood in Lincoln.

Sen. Clements objected to this change for Legislative District 2. Part of his reasoning while speaking on the floor was that District 2 has never stretched into Lincoln and that he would have more work to do to earn those votes during his re-election campaign.

Clements objection and amendment to the bipartisan map has put the passage of both the Congressional and Legislative maps at risk. On Tuesday morning, Democratic senators joined by Republican Senator John McCollister rose in opposition to this change.

Over the week, the debate will continue on redistricting and where to draw the map lines. The Speaker of the Legislature has noted in the past that the continued delay could lead to a postponement of the May primary in 2022. Both Republicans and Democrats are skeptical prospects of a new deal.