Eds: APNewsNow.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) State demographer Tom Gillaspy knows better than anyone the risks facing Minnesota the next time political boundaries are redrawn.

Gillaspy speaks at a University of Minnesota conference on redistricting reform on Monday.

He tracks the population trends that will determine whether Minnesota loses one of its eight U.S. House seats to a faster-growing state in the next round of redistricting that starts after the 2010 census.

Political boundaries are redrawn only once a decade but the process of redistricting shapes the political landscape for years to come.

DFL Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher will also weigh in at the event in Minneapolis hosted by the Humphrey Institute.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-30-08 1127CST | save this article / add to your favorites list