There is one thing that makes Minnesota different from every other state in the union. We are the only state with a divided Legislature — Democrats hold the majority in the House of Representatives, and the Republicans control the Senate.

This may create some problems, like the inability to pass a two-year budget without going to special sessions, but it also produces one advantage. Since the House and Senate will never agree on a redistricting map every ten yeas, it falls to a panel of impartial judges. So instead of one party drawing up districts designed to add to their majority, Minnesota’s legislative and congressional districts are being drawn up without regard to political advantage.

Our communities won’t be unnaturally divided or mashed together to place two incumbents of the same party into one district, for example.

The new district maps are due to be selected by Feb. 15. Unless the Legislature can achieve the unlikely and agree upon a plan, the five-member judicial panel will be making the decision. We are placing our confidence in the panel to do a fair job of setting up our political boundaries for the next ten years.