CHARLESTON — West Virginians can expect public hearings and a Website to help them keep tabs and weigh in on the redrawing of the state’s legislative and congressional districts, lawmakers say.

Senate Majority Leader John Unger heads a task force of half his chamber’s members — 17 senators, one from each district — that aims to hold nine hearings around the state in May, June and possibly July. As part of its share of the redistricting process, the Senate also plans to allow residents to comment online and perhaps even draw and submit their own district maps, the Jefferson County Democrat said Tuesday.

“The goal is to really get it out there to the public,” Unger said. “This is so everybody has access, from the public to county officials and municipal officials to the media.”

The Senate’s goal is also to have proposed plans ready so acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin can convene the necessary special session between mid-August and mid-September, Unger said. Counties will need to realign voting precincts and otherwise prepare for the 2012 election, when the entire House, half the Senate and all three U.S. House seats will be on the ballot.

“We want to make sure everything’s in place prior to the filing period for 2012,” Unger said.

House Speaker Rick Thompson is meeting with fellow delegates from different regions to gather information about the population shifts reflected in the 2010 Census, spokeswoman Stacey Ruckle said. The House also plans to form a committee, Thompson said in a Tuesday statement.

“Once the committee is appointed and begins its work I trust that we will conduct the people’s business in the manner and spirit required by state law and the principals of openness and fairness,” said Thompson, D-Wayne.

Thompson, Unger, and other state leaders received detailed Census data last month. Eastern Panhandle counties of Berkeley and Jefferson led the state in population growth over the last decade, along with Monongalia County. Northern Panhandle counties lost population, while declines seen in previous census counts continued for the southern coalfields.

The changes will likely result in a shifting of seats in both the Senate and 100-member House of Delegates. The 2010 Census suggests that each delegate should represent 18,530 people, but just 44 seats in 20 of the House’s 58 districts fall within 5 percent of that figure. Only five of the Senate’s districts contain populations within 5 percent of the ideal of 109,000 residents.

At least two of the U.S. House districts will also require changes. While the 1st District is within 1 percent of the ideal size of 617,665 people, the 2nd District has 30,521 residents too many and the 3rd District has nearly 29,000 too few.

Unger said he hopes that the Senate’s approach will allow for a wide range of redistricting options. He cited how the 2nd District cuts across the state from the Ohio to the Potomac rivers. The 1st District includes the Northern Panhandle while the 3rd District represents the southern coalfield counties.

“There’s a lot of talk of ‘Does it make sense, to group the Eastern Panhandle with Kanawha County?” Unger said, referring to the 2nd District. “Some say yes, some say it doesn’t make sense.”

The House of Delegates, meanwhile, will likely debate increasing from 37 the number of single-seat districts. Republicans have made 100 districts their goal during this redistricting, House Minority Leader Tim Armstead said Tuesday. Among other reasons, Armstead said, single-member districts bring delegates closer to the people they represent, and reduce the cost of election campaigns.

“I think you’ll give many more people an opportunity in this state to run for the office and have their opinions and views heard by the public,” said Armstead, R-Kanawha.

Tomblin said he expects public input will help decide that question.

“I think that as we move this process, people need to let especially the House know their concerns,” Tomblin said during an interview last week. “If they feel that single-member districts are the way to go, I think that the members of the House will probably heed that advice.”

Democrats command majorities in both chambers, with 65 seats in the House and all but six in the Senate. But the GOP holds all five House seats representing Berkeley County, and that county can expect more. The southern delegate districts, meanwhile, are dominated by Democrats.

Unger said he does not believe party politics will play the role in West Virginia’s redistricting that they have in other states.

“Self-preservation seemed the more driving thing than partisanship,” Unger said. “The partisanship is a smoke screen that could divert public attention. What people need to watch is incumbency protection.”

Arguing that multi-seat delegate districts favor incumbents, Armstead also called for a fair, transparent process.

“We should draw districts in a way so that people are well-represented,” Armstead said. “I hope that partisan politics won’t play a large role in this. It shouldn’t.”