Every 10 years, the U.S. government conducts a Census to determine the population of the country and where people live.
Census data is then used to redraw legislative districts for the U.S. Congress and state legislatures.
Each state is required to redraw their district lines to ensure that each district contains the same number of people.
This year, states are drawing new district lines that will be used for the next 10 years. This is referred to as redistricting.
Gerrymandering is a term used to describe the practice of drawing district lines in order to maximize an advantage of a political party.
This means that important considerations, like keeping communities of interest together, are not taken into account.
You will often hear terms like packing groups of people into as few districts as possible, or cracking a community into as many districts as possible, in order to dilute their power and influence.
Campus communities are often targets of cracking, meaning that district lines often draw through or near colleges and universities.
Splitting these communities dilute college student voting power and influence with their elected officials.
Fair maps should be drawn with input and guidance from the public. They should also take into account communities of interest, including colleges and universities.
We are encouraging college students to make their voices heard as part of their state’s redistricting process.
Communities of Interest are groups or neighborhoods with shared interests that deserve fair, equitable, and just representation by elected officials. Drawing Community of Interest maps is a great way to think and learn more about what your community looks like! You can also submit your Community of Interest map to your state’s redistricting officials so it can be considered as part of your state’s redistricting process.
Check out our Community of Interest map drawing webinar, created by Megan Rickman Blackwood, a Campus Vote Project Redistricting Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University.
All rights reserved © Copyright 2024 by Campus Vote Project | Fair Elections Center