September 21, 2023
Redistricting, the process of redrawing election district boundaries every ten years to ensure that districts have equal populations, is crucial to our democracy. AB 764 (Bryan & Cervantes) and AB 1248 (Bryan & Allen) would help ensure that local jurisdictions adopt electoral maps that result in fair representation for all Californians.
AB 764 would strengthen the FAIR MAPS Act (FMA), which prohibits partisan gerrymandering in cities and counties and sets standardized redistricting criteria to ensure neighborhoods and diverse communities are kept intact. Specifically, AB 764 would:
- Prohibit incumbency protection in the redistricting process.
- Increase transparency and public engagement.
- Expand provisions of the FMA to include educational and special districts.
AB 1248 would require that the state’s larger cities, counties, and educational districts establish independent redistricting commissions (IRCs). Voters and communities should choose their elected representatives, rather than elected officials choosing their voters. IRCs are one tool to ensure that the redistricting process respects and fairly represents communities, neighborhoods, and shared interests.
LWVC is co-sponsoring these bills because we know that every Californian’s voice should be heard when determining our communities’ futures. How districts are drawn has the power to determine, for the next decade, whether communities and neighborhoods’ shared interests will be fairly represented at varying levels of government.
Please ask Governor Newsom to sign AB 764 and AB 1248 and ensure fair representation for all.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Doute, CAE
Executive Director, LWVC
P.S. Read more about the FMA in this report “The Promise of Fair Maps: California’s 2020 Local Redistricting Cycle - Lessons Learned and Future Reforms.”