SB 218 - This act requires each political subdivision, political party committee, board, city council, board of alderpersons, and county commission to redistrict or reapportion their wards, subdistricts, or districts not later than 5 months prior to the opening of filing for office after the census data is reported to the President of the United States. Such districts, subdistricts, or wards shall be drawn using the following criteria, in order of priority: · Wards, subdistricts, or districts shall be as nearly equal as practicable in population, and shall be drawn on the basis of one person, one vote. Wards, districts, or subdistricts are as nearly equal as practicable in population if they do not deviate by more than five percent from the ideal population; · Wards, districts, and subdistricts shall be established in a manner so as to comply with all requirements of the United States Constitution and applicable federal laws, including, but not limited to, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, provided that the following principles shall take precedence over any other part of this act: no district, subdistrict, or ward shall be drawn in a manner which results in a denial or abridgment of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color; and no district, subdistrict, or ward shall be drawn such that members of any community of citizens protected by the preceding clause have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice; · Subject to the above requirements, districts, subdistricts, and wards shall be composed of contiguous territory as compact as may be. · To the extent consistent with the above criteria, communities and political subdivisions of common interest shall be preserved. Districts, subdistricts, and wards are required to be drawn in a manner that achieves both partisan fairness and, secondarily, competitiveness. The office of state demographer is required to provide all necessary assistance in the drawing of wards, districts, or subdistricts under this act. This act is identical to SB 954 (2022). SCOTT SVAGERA