Reconfiguration creates meandering 38th District

Voters in North Lawrence won’t find State Rep. Tom Sloan’s name on their Nov. 5 general election ballots.

And those who live east of Lawrence, won’t find State Rep. Lee Tafanelli’s name on theirs.

Tafanelli and Sloan are both seeking re-election, but their respective districts no longer include east and north Lawrence.

East and north Lawrence are now in the 38th District, a meandering collection of precincts from the old 45th and 47th districts in Douglas County and the 39th and 43rd districts in Johnson County.

Earlier this year, lawmakers approved the reconfiguration as part of the reapportionment package that adjusted districts to shifts in the state’s population.

The state Constitution requires reapportionment every ten years. Each House district represents 21,378 people, plus or minus 1 percent.

The 38th District now includes all of Eudora and parts of Lawrence, Lenexa, DeSoto, Shawnee and Olathe.