Redistricting Partners
In 2015, an amendment to the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) required that all district-based entities, including community college districts, provide equal representation to their constituents through the elimination of “at large” districts. These amendments aimed to eliminate discrimination and vote dilution by ensuring that for every region in a district, there will only be one representative. An additional requirement of the amended law is for district board members to better reflect the demographics in their regions to ensure that boards accurately represent their constituents and respond to their population’s needs. District compliance with the CVRA requirements is currently determined based on data collected from the 2020 Census. In order to meet the law’s requirements, districts were required to redraw their lines or restructure their regions to reflect their changing demographics and ensure one representative for each region. The Foundation for California Community Colleges partnered with Redistricting Partners to help community college districts in their redistricting efforts by providing the back-office support and expertise districts need to restructure.
Recognizing the importance of ensuring that all Community College districts are in compliance with the law, the Foundation has worked with Redistricting Partners to develop a “turn-key” redistricting package. This package includes:
- An introductory overview presentation
- Development of mapping databases and software licenses
- Two community of interest hearings
- Three draft maps based on community of interest testimony and traditional redistricting criteria
- Two map input hearings and adjustments
- A final plan for adoption
- Completion of the redistricting process with the county registrar