SALEM — Residents of the 2nd Congressional District will get their first chance to comment on the upcoming redistricting process via video and teleconference later this month.

The Oregon Legislature is responsible for determining the boundaries of the sprawling district, which covers everything east of the Cascade Mountains, including Umatilla and Morrow counties.

In a joint press release, Sens. Bill Hansell of Athena and Tim Knopp of Bend, the two Republicans of the five-member Senate Committee on Redistricting, shared information on how residents could participate in the hearings.

The hearings will be held on March 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on March 20 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participants can sign up for written or oral testimony at oregonlegislature.gov/redistricting. If they don’t have access to the internet, they can call Patrick Brennan at 503-986-1674 or Michael Lantz at 503-986-1736 for further instructions.

If a resident has suggestions on redistricting, the senators reminded potential participants that the state requires, “as practicable as possible,” all congressional districts need to be contiguous, use existing geographical or political boundaries, have equal population, keep together “communities of common interest” and maintain connection through transportation links.