Trainings and Events

• CHARGE Trainings
  • Redistricting Community College: July 15th, 2021 from 6PM to 8PM ET. Register here. 
  • Next Level Organizing (102) – Activism for Districting. Using Scripts: July 17th, 2021 from 1PM to 3PM ET. Register here.
  • How Redistricting Organizers Can Lay the Groundwork for Litigation: July 22nd, 2021 from 1PM to 2PM ET. Register here.
• We Draw Oregon is hosting a training session for Oregon residents titled Facilitating Community Mapping: Asking the Right Questions and Testimony Prep on July 13.
• Join APIAVote and local partners as we lead state-specific redistricting trainings in our priority states. At this time, we’ve scheduled trainings for Washington (July 17th) and Arizona (July 24th). Register now and pass along the message to your friends and colleagues! 
• Mapping Mondays and Testimony Thursdays with Fair Count in GA! Come join us on Mondays and Thursdays at 7pm ET to learn about redistricting and how to make sure your voice is heard in the redistricting process! On Mondays we will focus on drawing community maps and on Thursdays we will help you build out testimony for redistricting public hearings. Register for Mapping Mondays here and Testimony Thursdays here.
• New voting districts will be drawn in North Carolina this year. How the districts are drawn will have huge impacts on the representation of New Bern and the surrounding area. Join Common Cause North Carolina to learn how you can push back against gerrymandering and advocate for districts which accurately reflect your community.  The event will be held on Thursday, July 15, at 6:00 PM ET on Zoom. Register here and learn more on our Facebook page.
• Join Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Common Cause, and the National Conference of American Indians (NCAI) on Wednesday, July 21st, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm ET, to get a sneak peek of what happens behind-the-scenes in the redistricting process. Learn the best practices around oral and written testimony from former redistricting commissioners and state legislators, in an interactive workshop. All are welcome! Register here.
• From Mi Familia Vota Texas: Join us for our second training on CommUNITY MAPS on Thursday July 22nd at 4:30-6 PM CST! We will go more in depth about what is required for the redrawing of district maps and practice creating a district map using our communities of interest in Texas! Register here.   
• Florida Redistricting: Join Equal Ground on Thursday July 28th from 6PM-8PM ET for the Partnership Organization Redistricting Staff/Super Volunteer Training, a live training on Florida’s redistricting process. Click here to register. For more information about Equal Ground and On-Demand Training around Florida’s redistricting process visit this link.

News

• California: 
  • California Citizens Redistricting Commission to Host Communities of Interest Virtual Meeting for OC. Fullerton Observer. July 6, 2021.
  • Monterey County hosts a redistricting workshop for residents. KION. July 7, 2021.
  • Lompoc City Council seeks public input for redistricting the community. News Channel 3-12. July 6, 2021.
  • Redistricting Commission to host first in-person meeting at Cabrillo High. Long Beach Post News. July 7, 2021.
• Florida: Florida post-census reapportionment begins in fall with pre-2022 session hearings. The Center Square. July 6, 2021.
• Georgia: 
  • Athens residents discuss state legislature redistricting at town hall. The Red and Black. July 7, 2021.
  • Georgia’s redistricting roadshow spurs calls for local Balkanization. Rome News-Tribune. July 7, 2021.
• Kansas: Kansas lawmakers plan to hold 14 town halls on redistricting. AP. July 7, 2021.
• Maine: With Census Data Delayed, Maine Redistricting Commission Seeks More Time For Work. Maine Public Radio. July 7, 2021.
• Michigan: Michigan Supreme Court denies new redistricting timeline request in face of census delays. Detroit Free Press. July 9, 2021.
• Montana: 
  • Montana redistricting commission discusses where to allocate imprisoned people. Bozeman Daily Chronicle. July 8, 2021.
  • Redistricting commission adopts congressional criteria. Montana Free Press. July 9, 2021.
• North Carolina: Independent commission improbable for this year’s redistricting, N.C. lawmakers say. Catham News and Record. July 7, 2021.
• Oklahoma: State begins redrawing congressional seats in redistricting process like no other. KOCO. July 8, 2021.
• Virginia: Redistricting Commission Prepares to Meet In-Person for the First Time. WVTF. July 5, 2021.
• Wisconsin: 
  • Dane County Asks Residents To Weigh In On Upcoming Redistricting. WORT. July 7, 2021.
  • League of Women Voters of the Ripon Area presents the challenge of redistricting at the local level. Ripon Commonwealth Press. July 10, 2021.

Job Announcements

• Redistricting Demography Mapping Specialist job opening at Common Cause. Location: Los Angeles, CA. Working directly with Common Cause redistricting staff and allies across the country, the Mapping Specialist will bolster community leaders’ engagement in 2021’s redistricting session by providing demographic mapping support. Apply here.
• Local Redistricting Commissions in California
  • The City of Modesto’s hybrid redistricting commission is accepting applications until July 16. Apply here.
  • The City of Lincoln’s independent redistricting commission member applications are available until July 16 at 5PM. Apply here.
  • The City of Merced is seeking applicants to its advisory redistricting commission. The deadline has not been announced, but applications will likely need to be submitted before the end of July, as the City Council is making appointments on August 2. Merced redistricting commissioners will host four redistricting hearings on August 12th at 6PM, September 15th at 6PM, December 1st at 6PM and January 22nd at 10AM. Apply here.
  • The City of Brentwood in Contra Costa County recently launched the application for its hybrid redistricting commission. They are currently accepting applications until August 2. Apply here.

This newsletter has been produced by Common Cause and compiled by Dan Vicuna. Subscribe to the Gerrymander Gazette here. For more information or to pass along news, contact Dan Vicuna.

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