Redistricting in California

The most important principle of a representative Democracy is individual citizen participation. A representative democracy is strongest when individual citizens believe their voices are being heard and that government policies reflect their wishes. This provides for the notion that one person is entitled to one vote.

The process used to ensure equal representation is divided into two steps. The first step involves a numerical count of each and every person in the United States. This is done every ten years and is called the Decennial Census. The second step divides the population equally into elective official districts; this step is referred to as redistricting or reapportionment. Both steps will get under way in 2010.

In 2010, representatives of the U.S. Census Bureau will fan out all over the country in an effort to count every individual. They will send everyone a questionnaire and it is very important that it is completed and returned. Responses are confidential and the information is used for statistical purposes only. However, if the questionnaire is not returned, the individual is not counted and anytime someone is not counted, it results in a loss of government resources as well as representation. Therefore, each of us should take responsibility for making sure that our community is counted.

In prior years, the redistricting process has been conducted by the State Legislature. However, in November 2008, the voters gave this responsibility to a 14 member commission called the Citizens Redistricting Commission. The California State Auditor is responsible for the establishment of the Commission. With some exceptions, all registered voters are eligible to serve on the Commission. Therefore, to ensure that our community has representation, I am encouraging everyone to submit an application for these paid commission positions.

Please join me and let’s make sure that we are all counted by the Census and included in redistricting.

Sincerely,

Alice Huffman
President, California Conference
NAACP