Colorado Springs redistricting commissioner speaks out after chair ousted

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Commissioner Moussa Diawara says he is ready to move on from the "distraction" caused by former redistricting commission chair Danny Moore, who was ousted after he made comments about election conspiracies on social media.

Diawara and Moore served together on Colorado's Congressional Redistricting Commission. Along with 10 other independent citizens, they're tasked with drawing new districts for Colorado's U.S. representatives. In most states, politicians draw such districts.

Moore originally served as Chair of the commission but was unanimously voted out as Chair on Monday, April 5, 2021.

Diawara, who lives in Colorado Springs, said he voted Moore out because he lost faith in his ability to lead the effort.

"Based on his very strong convictions, and the way he voiced it in different areas, I worried that he might have some form of agenda and I just did not see how he could have been completely impartial," Diawara said.

Though he's no longer Chair, Moore will continue serving as a commissioner, which Diawara believes is the right move.

"We are a very diverse group. I know he voiced his things. Who knows my strong convictions? Nobody," Commissioner Diawara said. "So for me, there was no real grounds to say, 'you can't be on the commission.'"

The commission is made up of four Republicans, four Democrats, and four unaffiliated community members. Moore is Republican, Diawara is unaffiliated.

Diawara hopes the focus of the commission will shift to the task at hand. They're anxiously awaiting the census data, which they should receive in the next few weeks, to determine whether Colorado will get an eighth congressional district.

"We have a very, very short timeframe to meet all the deadlines. My hope is we can just get to work," Diawara said.