AP analysis indicates Idaho district lines favor Republicans

Republicans have controlled the Idaho Legislature for nearly six decades, but a national Associated Press analysis shows that the state GOP may have gained even more control last fall with the help of Republican-friendly districts.

The Associated Press used a new mathematical formula to scrutinize roughly 4,700 state House and Assembly seats up for election last year and found a decided advantage for Republicans in numerous states, including Idaho.

Idaho is among the top 10 states in the country with the biggest “efficiency gap,” or the percentage of seats won by Republicans beyond what would be expected based on their statewide average share of votes. After the November election, 59 Republicans now control the Idaho House, which has 11 Democrats.

Under a redistricting plan approved in 2012, Idaho’s House seats are divided among 35 districts – each district has two House seats and one Senate seat.