Getting Representation for Your Community:
Mapping Communities of Interest
1/17
Roadmap
Part 1:
Part 2:
2/17
Guiding Goals
Understand the importance of your participation in this process
Get the tools you need to draw your own “community of interest”
Add your map to OneVirginia2021’s community map drive!
3/17
What is Redistricting?
4/17
Prince William County
Example:
5/17
Virginia’s only “majority minority” county with a substantial Latinx community
Slides courtesy of Representable.com
Prince William County
6/17
Virginia’s only “majority minority” county with a substantial Latinx community
Split 5-8 Times
by proposed state legislative district plans
Slides courtesy of Representable.com
Prince William County
7/17
“This plan effectively disenfranchises Prince William County. We are concerned the minority voice will be lost”
-PWC NAACP Branch President,
Ralph Smith
Slides courtesy of Representable.com
Why is This Important to Me?
Visit https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/ to see your current district lines
Districts = Representation
They determine who you vote with, as well as who you vote for.
8/17
A Brand New Redistricting System for VA
9/17
Who Defines “Communities of Interest”?
You when you map your community!
Virginia law requires districts preserve “communities of interest”, which is why
we need YOU to draw your community and share it
with the Redistricting Commission!
Otherwise, they’re left with this
Legal definition:
“A neighborhood or any geographically defined group of people living in an area who share similar social, cultural, and economic interests. A ‘community of interest’ does not include a community based upon political affiliation or relationship with a political party, elected official, or candidate for office.”
10/17
Pre-Mapping Brainstorm
What cultural, historical, environmental or economic interests do you share with your neighbors?
What needs or concerns bring your area together?
What activities or services does your community rely on or share?
Who would you like to choose representatives with?
What do you want the commission to know about your community?
Examples: Tourism industry, agricultural workers, mining town, manufacturing center, polluted natural resource, unemployment problem, shopping areas, schools and universities, libraries, parks, lakes, rivers, places of worship, healthcare services, public transport, local nonprofit organizations, religious groups, ethnic groups, languages, age groups, immigration status, historic or arts districts, shared policy concerns, need for a social service, relationship to other nearby communities, issues with current district lines
11/17
Part 1 Check-in
12/17
Questions?
Using Community Mapping Software
13/17
OneVirginia2021foundation.org/community-mapping
14/17
Part 2 Check-in
15/17
Questions?
16/17
FAQs
What are the units used to draw my community?
Census block groups! The smallest indivisible units the Commission will use to draw districts.
Are there plans to translate the website into additional languages?
Yes! The site is currently translated in Spanish and Arabic, and there are plans to expand upon these translations. Have requests? Let the Representable team know at team@representable.org.
My organization has decided that we want to use the tool, what are the next steps?
Representable has an organization guide for information about the tool, community mapping drives, training sessions, and more. Additionally, the resources tab of their website has sample training slides, infographics, and educational materials to support you.
How is Representable different from other mapping software systems?
Representable.org is a free tool which solely focuses on drawing communities of interest. Additionally, only Representable has mapping drives for organizing community maps and the structured questions before drawing the map. We also heavily prioritize a friendly user interface that works as both a tool for collecting public input and educating users.
How will this tool be affected by the delay of the release of Census information?
Since users do not rely on Census demographic data when they draw their communities, the tool will not be affected by any delay. You can start drawing COI maps today!
What mapping systems are compatible with Representable?
You can upload a GEOJSON file of the COI data collected from Representable into several mapping systems! They include Maptitude, ESRI, Dave's Redistricting App & DistrictBuilder.
*Additional FAQs can be found at https://representable.org/faq/*
17/17
More Questions, Concerns, or Feedback?
Contact the Representable team directly at team@representable.org or OneVirginia2021 at director@onevirginia2021.org
Thank you!
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