Washington County will only have one state senator and representative come 2022 as the once every decade district maps were approved in a special legislative session this week.

After the first set of maps drawn by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency were rejected by Senate Republicans earlier this month, the Senate voted 48-1 and the House voted 93-2 to approve the second set of maps Thursday. Democratic Senator Kevin Kinney (D) voted in favor of both proposals, and the second proposal now puts him in Iowa County which is currently represented by Republican Dawn Driscoll. Kinney comments on the new district, which also takes him out of Keokuk County to represent all of Washington in addition to much of Johnson, “I live on the west end of Johnson County, I own a farm in Iowa County. It’s kind of a natural area for me and puts me right in the middle of my district.”

Republican Representative Jarad Klein approved the second set of maps, which doesn’t pit him against any current House member. Klein says his district will look very similar to how it was over 10 years ago, covering all of Washington County and a southern portion of Johnson County. Currently his district includes Keokuk County of which he resides near the county line, “It was a little more challenging when the folks that live in the town I’m closest to happen to be on the other side of the line would ask things, I wasn’t really there rep. So the last 10 years was really nice in the aspect, but it’s not uncommon for it to be split the way it is and I think that that’s for sure a much better fit then the first set [of maps] was.”

Washington and other southeast Iowa counties will now be in the first congressional district rather than the second. It also puts Second District Congress member Marianette Miller-Meeks’ home county of Wapello in the third district, leaving her either to move or run against incumbent Cindy Axne (D).