County Commission Redistricting: Alternative Plans
Public Hearing
The Williams County Redistricting Board will hold a public hearing to present alternative plans for redistricting County Commission Districts based on the 2020 decennial Census on Monday, November 15, 2021 at 5:30 pm in the Williams County Commission Room. Public comment regarding the alternative plans will be accepted in-person during the hearing or virtually. Virtual comment will be accepted until 5 pm CT on November 10, 2021.
About the Redistricting Process
When does Redistricting occur?
Redistricting of County Commission Districts occurs after each federal decennial census. Per ND Century Code Chapter 11-07, counties that have at least one County Commission District that deviates more than 10% from the average population per commissioner as determined by dividing the total population of the county from the most recent census (Census 2020) by the number of commission districts in the county must redistrict. Williams County meets this criteria for redistricting in 2021.
What is the new target Commission District population?
Williams County currently has 5 Commission Districts. Based on the 2020 Census, the population of Williams County is 40,950. The boundaries of each district need to be redrawn to redistribute the County's growing population so that each district has a population as close to 8,190 as possible, with a margin of +/- 10%.
Current Districts
| District | Population | Change | Deviation from new ideal district size | |||
| 2010 | 2020 | Inc (Dec) | Percent | Amount | Percent | |
| 1 | 4,251 | 14,353 | 10,102 | 237.64% | 6,163 | 75.25% |
| 2 | 4,593 | 6,620 | 2,027 | 44.13% | -1,570 | -19.17% |
| 3 | 4,614 | 6,680 | 2,066 | 44.78% | -1,510 | -18.44% |
| 4 | 4,630 | 6,451 | 1,821 | 39.33% | -1,739 | -21.23% |
| 5 | 4,310 | 6,840 | 2,530 | 58.70% | -1,350 | -16.48% |
How are the new District boundaries drawn?
The Williams County Redistricting Board worked in collaboration with Williams County staff to brainstorm and formulate plans for redistricting using Esri Redistricting software. Through a series of meetings, the Board has chosen two alternative plans for public consideration. These plans are provided below. When creating the plans, the following items, among others, were considered:
- Population
- Location of township boundaries and section lines to keep districts contiguous
- Shape of the district to maintain compactness and regularity in form
- Major development projects and subdivisions (current and future)
- Implications for determining voting precincts
- New proposed Legislative boundaries
Proposed Option A
| District | Total Population | Target Population | Deviation from Target | % Deviation |
| 1 | 7,983 | 8,190 | -207 | -2.53% |
| 2 | 8,092 | 8,190 | -98 | -1.20% |
| 3 | 8,463 | 8,190 | 273 | 3.33% |
| 4 | 8,548 | 8,190 | 358 | 4.37% |
| 5 | 7,864 | 8,190 | -326 | -3.98% |
Proposed Option B
| District | Total Population | Target Population | Deviation from Target | % Deviation |
| 1 | 8,739 | 8,190 | 549 | 6.70% |
| 2 | 8,299 | 8,190 | 109 | 1.33% |
| 3 | 7,755 | 8,190 | -435 | -5.31% |
| 4 | 8,293 | 8,190 | 103 | 1.26% |
| 5 | 7,864 | 8,190 | -326 | -3.98% |
