July 20, 2021

Trainings and Events

• CHARGE Trainings
  • How Redistricting Organizers Can Lay the Groundwork for Litigation: July 22nd, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET. Register here.
  • Learn how to use Representable, a free community mapping program created by Princeton Gerrymandering Project: July 23, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET Register here.
• Join Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Common Cause, and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) on Wednesday, July 21st, from 7:00 PM 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.
• The Colorado Redistricting Commissions are coming to a town near you… are you ready to participate? Join Colorado Common Cause as we walk you through the ins and outs of community redistricting, how to view and evaluate the preliminary maps and, most importantly, how to provide your feedback to the commissions. These sessions will be held weekly on Mondays at 7pm MT and Thursdays at noon MT through the end of August. So, find your closest hearing on the Commission Hearing Schedule and choose the session that works best for you! These sessions will be held via Zoom. RSVP to receive the call-in details. Sessions will be held on July 22 at noon MT, July 26 at 7:00 pm MT, July 29 at noon MT, August 2 at 7:00 pm MT, August 5 at noon MT, August 9 at 7:00 pm MT, August 12 at noon MT, August 16 at 7:00 pm MT, August 19 at noon MT, and August 23 at 7:00 pm MT.
• New congressional and state legislative voting districts will be drawn in North Carolina this year. Learn what you can do to push back against gerrymandering and speak out for fair maps! Join Common Cause North Carolina for an engaging, empowering and interactive virtual workshop for the Wilson community on July 22 at 6:00 p.m. 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.   
• Mapping Mondays and Testimony Thursdays with Fair Count in Georgia! 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.
• Join APIAVote and local partners as we lead a state-specific redistricting training for Arizona residents on July 24. Register here. 
• Florida Redistricting: Join Equal Ground on Thursday July 28th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM 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.
• Join Common Cause New Mexico, in collaboration with the ACLU of New Mexico, in urging lawmakers and the New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee to prevent prison gerrymandering before district maps, that will be effective for the next 10 years, are drawn. Find the petition here.
• Fair Districts Ohio is hosting a webinar “Redistricting: Prepping for Public Hearings” on August 2 at 7:00pm. Register here. 
• The New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee invites you to participate in the redistricting process. They will hold seven meetings from August 2 to August 12, open to the public. Find meeting dates, times, and details here. 
• The Ohio Council of Churches is hosting a webinar “Bring the Power Back to the People: Map Drawing and Redistricting Reform” on August 10 at 7:00pm. Learn more here. 
• Fair Districts Ohio is hosting “Drawing the Lines: A Forum on Community Mapping in Northeast Ohio” on August 10 at 7:00pm. Register here.

News

• 👩🏽‍⚖️Gone Suin’: Lawsuit of the Week⚖️: Common Cause Minnesota, OneMN.org, Voices For Racial Justice, and seven Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) co-plaintiffs filed a lawsuit last week to ensure BIPOC and other historically disenfranchised Minnesotans are represented in the state’s redistricting process. This grassroots coalition’s filing is the first and only in the state to focus solely on the interests of BIPOC Minnesotans. Read the intervention petition and memorandum of law in support of motion to intervene. Watch our media briefing here. 
• Alabama: Alabama lawmakers expect more than 20 public hearings on redistricting. Alabama Local. July 15, 2021.
• Arizona: Redistricting commission aims to finish maps by late December. Arizona Mirror. July 19, 2021.
• Arkansas: 8 Meetings On Redistricting In Works. Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services. 
• California: 
  • Kern County sets up redistricting workshops. The Bakersfield Californian. July 17, 2021.
  • SLO and Santa Barbara counties start redistricting process, public can submit maps. KSBY. July 16, 2021. 
  • Sonoma County NAACP Seeks More Diversity On Redistricting Commission. KSRO. July 13, 2021.
• Colorado: Fort Collins hearing set for Colorado congressional redistricting commissions. The Coloradoan. July 12, 2021.
• Georgia: 
  • Georgians Call for Unifying ‘Communities of Interest’ at Redistricting Hearings. GPB. July 14, 2021.
  • With Record 2020 Turnout, Youth Activists Turn Their Energy To 2021 Redistricting. WBUR. July 13, 2021.
• Illinois: Rock Island County redistricting pushed back to December. Quad-City Times. July 12, 2021.
• Iowa: THIS WEEK: Iowa is getting ready to draw some lines. WQAD. July 18, 2021.
• Kansas: Constituent engagement in redistricting process: Kansas commissions urge transparency. KSN. July 19, 2021.
• Louisiana: The ACLU Raises Awareness of the Legislature’s Summer and Fall Voter Redistricting Meetings. WGNO. July 14, 2021.
• Maine: Maine high court approves extension of redistricting timeline due to Census delays. Bangor Daily News. July 20, 2021.
• Mississippi: Legislators set public redistricting hearings, complete with live-streaming. Mississippi Today. July 12, 2021.
• New Jersey: N.J. Supreme Court will pick tiebreaker on congressional redistricting. New Jersey Globe. July 15, 2021.
• New York: 
  • Dutchess Redistricting Falls Apart. The Highlands Current. July 16, 2021.
  • Ortt urges constituents to join in ensuring fair redistricting effort. Niagara Frontier Publications. July 13, 2021.
  • NY redistricting commission departs tradition, will hold public hearings on drawing new lines. WBFO. July 12, 2021.
• Ohio: Redistricting fights in Ohio begin, this time with an open records request. Ohio Capital Journal. July 19, 2021.
• Oklahoma: Congressional redistricting meetings scheduled across state. Woodward News. July 18, 2021.
• Pennsylvania: 
  • Grove to lead hearings to make redistricting process more open. York Dispatch. July 12, 2021.
  • Pennsylvania House GOP Commits To Public Meetings, Vows ‘Most Transparent’ Congressional Redistricting Process Ever. WESA. July 12, 2021.
• South Carolina: Senate leader expects SC redistricting to finish by October. The Herald Sun. July 20, 2021.
• Utah: Utah redistricting process to include 19 public hearings around the state. KJZZ. July 19, 2021.
• West Virginia: Redistricting meetings planned. The Inter-Mountain. July 13, 2021.
• Wisconsin: 
  • Dane County residents invited to weigh in on redistricting maps. The Herald-Independent. July 20, 2021.
  • SCOWIS: GOP Legislators Can Hire Private Attorneys Ahead Of Redistricting. WPR. July 15, 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.
• The law firm of Strumwasser & Woocher (SW) is inviting applicants to apply to serve as the racially-polarized voting consultant for California’s redistricting process. The California’s Citizens Redistricting Committee (CCRC) has engaged SW, along with voting rights expert David Becker, to serve as voting rights counsel to the CCRC during the redistricting process. Application due July 23, 2021. Final engagement of the consultant will be subject to the approval of the CCRC. View the full invitation and apply here.
• Fair Districts Ohio is seeking a GIS Technology Liaison who can to help facilitate the Ohio Redistricting Competition by providing technical assistance to GIS related technologies. Learn more here.
• The Redistricting Data Hub is currently looking for high quality people to join our team and support nonpartisan redistricting efforts across the country this cycle. We are hiring for a full-time training coordinator, a data validation fellow, and a writing fellow. Position descriptions and further details can be found on our website. And if you know someone great who is looking for work, please forward them this opportunity!
• The City of Brentwood in Contra Costa County (CA) is accepting applications until August 2 for its hybrid redistricting commission. 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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