Why Independent Redistricting Matters

Amity Foundation is working with the California Redistricting Commission to inform Californians on CRC’s independent statewide redistricting efforts. Part of this campaign strives to engage diverse and under-represented communities including formerly incarcerated people, those experiencing homelessness, and recent immigrants, among others.

Districts can be drawn in multiple ways, but it’s not always fair. District maps can be drawn in a manner that does not reflect the population fairly, which is referred to as gerrymandering. This is why independent commissions, like California’s commission, were created — to remove the politics from the process and focus on the people.

The Commission must follow these criteria, in this order, when drawing district maps:

1. Districts must be of nearly equal population to comply with the U.S. Constitution.

2. Districts must comply with the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minorities have a fair opportunity to elect representatives of their choice.

3. Districts must be drawn contiguously, so that all parts of the district are connected to each other.

4. Districts must minimize the division of cities, counties, neighborhoods, and communities of interest to the extent possible.

5. Districts should be geographically compact, such that nearby areas of population are not bypassed for more distant populations. This requirement refers to density, not shape.

6. Where practicable, each Senate District should comprise two complete and adjacent Assembly Districts. Board of Equalization districts should comprise ten complete and adjacent State Senate Districts.

For more information visit: WeDrawtheLinesCA.org