Communities of Interest

Communities of Interest

What is a community of interest (COI)? A geographic area in which people share common concerns that would be better represented if not arbitrarily divided between districts. Montana has defined the types of common concerns that qualify as a community of interest:

  • Indian reservations
  • urban, rural, and suburban interests;
  • tribal interests;
  • school districts;
  • neighborhoods;
  • trade areas;
  • geographic location;
  • location, demographics, communication and transportation networks;
  • social, cultural, historic and economic interests; and
  • occupations and lifestyles.

Communities of interest are defined by the people within them and depend upon citizen input. A Community of Interest is an area defined by shared socio-economic, ethnic, geographic, economic, or other interests. The definition should not include any relationship between a community and a political party, incumbent or candidate.

There are some COI that are considered “protected classes” in that they have rights through state or federal civil rights or voting rights laws. Some examples of protected classes in districting would be ethnic and racial minorities such as a concentration of Native American, Latinx, Asian, or African American people. 

Examples of other potential COI that can also be considered in redistricting: senior citizens, college students, neighborhoods, or even people who share concerns such as parents with young children, bicycle enthusiasts, and topic interest groups.

COI does not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.

Identifying and mapping the location of COI can be done by submitting written descriptions or by drawing maps.  Maps should provide enough information--the streets, highways, or natural features that are the boundaries of the community--to be able to understand where your community of interest is located. They do not require any detail beyond that.

Why does providing my Community of Interest matter?

Only Montana residents can provide the crucial information about what communities of interest should be kept intact within districts. Montana residents inform the redistricting commissioners what groups wish to be able to act in concert as residents of the same district to obtain the attention and support of their representative in the Montana Legislature. The law requires the Commission to consider the information about communities of interest once other requirements such as equal representation, compliance with federal and state laws and contiguity have been considered.

Where do I start? Ask yourself and your community:

  • What are your shared interests?
  • What brings you together?
  • What is important to your community?
  • Are there nearby areas you want to be in a district with?
  • Nearby areas you don't want to be in a district with? Why or why not?

What You Can Do to Participate in the Process

  • Check out the League of Women Voters Redistricting Resources page for more information and tools to help engage others in your community in defining communities of interest.
  • Download and use the Communities of Interest Testimony template as a guide to developing your COI submission.
  • Go to the Brennan Center website for 6 Tips for Making Effective Comments at a Redistricting Hearing.
  • Submit your testimony at the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission website.
  • Review the video introductions to mapping tools on the bottom of the Redistricting: Legislative Districts  webpage:  https://my.lwv.org/montana/redistricting-legislative-districts
  • You can create your own map to submit at the Commission’s website at one of the following:
      • Representable is a free, open-source tool for creating maps for Communities of Interest (COI).
      • Districtr is a free, public web tool for districting and community identification, brought to you by the MGGG Redistricting Lab.
      • Dave's Redistricting - DRA 2020 is a free web app to create, view, analyze and share redistricting maps for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
      • District Builder - DistrictBuilder puts the power of drawing electoral maps in the hands of the people.
      • Visit the Legislative Redistricting page for videos demonstrating most of these free mapping tools.
  • The Commission held Public Hearings across the state on its four proposed maps in late August and September of 2022.  You can still submit written comments by going to the Commission's website.   The Commission will be meeting in a working session November 28-December 1, 2022, after which it will release final map(s) for public comment and hearing on December 10, 2022.  You can send in comments or sign up to provide live comments using Zoom on the Commission's webpage.