Redistricting

What is Redistricting?

• Redistricting is the process by which census data is used to redraw the lines and boundaries of electoral districts within a state. This process affects districts at all levels of government — from local school boards and city councils to state legislatures and the United States House of Representatives.

Orange County Context

• Traditionally the redistricting process has always been inaccessible to the public and those who would be most affected by representative outcomes of the new district maps. Local elected countywide have utilized gerrymandering*, packing*, and cracking* to create specific district maps that favor their electability. Locally, in Little Saigon, the cities of Garden Grove, Westminster, and Santa Ana have recently transitioned from at-large elections to district elections. 

Our Work:

• For months, we provided testimony with residents to the CA Citizens Redistricting Committee to ensure that they prioritized working class communities of color, particularly Vietnamese residents in Little Saigon in the Orange County congressional, state senate, and state assembly maps
• We formed 3 communities made up of residents and community organizations: the Garden Grove Redistricting Committee, Santa Ana Redistricting Committee, and the Westminster Redistricting Committee
• We conducted door-to-door canvassing efforts in 3 cities to inform hundreds of Vietnamese working-class residents of Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Westminster about redistricting between July – October 2021
• We are a member of the county-wide People’s Redistricting Alliance and worked together with a widely diverse coalition of community organizations to create an OC Board of Supervisors map that would prioritize increased representation for working class communities of color, including creating a majority Latino district and prioritizing residents in Little Saigon who have been impacted by gerrymandering, cracking, and packing in previous redistricting processes.

Key-terms

• Gerrymandering – A plan or a district intentionally drawn to advantage one group or party over another, sometimes identified by bizarre shapes.
• Cracking – A term used when the electoral strength of a particular group is divided by a redistricting plan
• Packing – A term used when one group is consolidated as a super-majority in a smaller number of districts, thus reducing its electoral influence in nearby districts.