Community of Interest (COI) is a somewhat difficult to define concept. The National Conference of State Legislatures defines Community of Interest as:
“Geographical areas, such as neighborhoods of a city or regions of a state, where residents have common political interests that do not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision, such as a city or county.”
A COI generally has a cluster of attributes that bind it together. These can include conditions such as:
- Problems faced: poverty, discrimination, violence
- Industry: agriculture, manufacturing, tourism
- Natural resources: water, minerals, coastline
- Shared services: police, fire, school district, health care
- Culture: race, ethnicity, language, religion, values and many more.
While the courts have not provided a clear definition of COI, it has been established that race may not be the predominant defining characteristic of a district.
Examples of COIs that have emerged from the courts include:
- North Carolina’s rural regions
- Georgia’s coastal communities
- Colorado’s mountain regions
- Texas’s impoverished and needy areas
The Commission relies on input from the public when considering COIs. The 2021 IRC has completed a 15-stop Listening Tour of the state with the objective of hearing directly from people about how they define their Community of Interest. Over 900 people submitted maps of their proposed Community of Interest. These maps have been compiled in the IRC “Communities of Interest Report”
To learn more about Communities of Interest go to…
LWV Analysis of Communities of Interest
