North Dakota lawmakers met for the first time this summer to receive training on the software they’ll be using to redistrict the state.

The 16-member, mostly Republican redistricting committee will officially start drafting the map once Census data is released in late August.

With population growth expected in more urban areas, rural district representatives could soon be covering larger swaths of the state.

Bismarck representative Erin Oban, one of two Democrats on the committee, says she’s mindful of the growth in Bismarck and wants to keep communities intact.

“I’m more interested in making sure that neighborhoods and traditional boundaries make sense and keeping those constituencies together than I am worried about the partisanship of the current incumbent or who might run in the future,” Oban said.

Lawmakers will be using the software “Maptitude” once meetings officially begin. Those meetings will all be public and streamed online.