Pat Smith, a member of the Assiniboine Tribe on the Fort Peck Reservation, is serving on the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission.

Smith, an attorney, will help redraw all 150 of the state's legislative districts and any potential U.S. congressional boundaries. He is one of two Democrats on the commission.

Rep. David Roundstone, a Democrat who represents Busby on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, said redistricting will help send more Indians into office. Montana has the second largest contingent of Indian lawmakers, after Oklahoma.

“It’s been refreshing to finally have a voice in the Legislature,” Roundstone said at a commission hearing, The Billings Gazette reported. “I don’t know if you can understand what that means to Native Americans in Montana.”

Get the Story:
Republicans push for fairer districting (The Billings Gazette 4/20)