Oregon Public Broadcasting

The population is growing fast enough in Oregon that there’s likely to be a new congressional district after the 2010 Census. Oregon’s population is expected to increase from 3.4 million in 2000 to 3.9 million in 2010.

That’s enough growth to create a sixth congressional district.

Under federal law, legislative and congressional districts are redrawn after each census.

In Oregon, district redrawing is up to the state legislature. If it can’t agree, the Secretary of State  redraws the legislative districts and makes recommendations to a federal judge about congressional districts.

OPB political analyst Bill Lunch says all of that  plays into this year’s election of  Oregon’s next Secretary of State.

Bill Lunch: “Whoever is elected Secretary of State in 2008 is likely to have a very large role in determining just where the new congressional district will be created.  Though it seems clear it’s going to have to be centered in the upper Willamette Valley which is where the population growth has been quickest.”

The last time Oregon added a new congressional district was in 1990.