Population shifts in Kansas will mean some tough decisions ahead for lawmakers who are redrawing state Senate districts. The chamber’s 40 seats are divided up based on population. Western and southeast Kansas have been losing population in recent years. Johnson County is gaining residents, meaning it will likely need to pick up a Senate seat. Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican, says western Kansas has had to sacrifice representation in past years. That could leave southeast Senate districts on the chopping block.
Morris says it will be difficult to decide which part of the state will lose a Senate district. Moving a seat to Johnson County would mean eight of the chamber’s 40 senators would represent that county.