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“Changing the name of a neighborhood or the name of a syrup bottle is all good, but I don’t think it’s the systemic change that people want,” she said. “An independent redistricting commission actually could be that change... I think that is a fundamental shift that could be really radical and really cool.”

“It shouldn’t be the case that if you’re a politician, you get to draw the maps and decide who’s in your district. By having two independent redistricting commissions, we’re ensuring that everyday Coloradans are going to be the folks drawing those maps.”

In Colorado, Amendments Y and Z established an independent redistricting commission free from political appointees. Amanda Gonzalez, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, a non-profit advocacy group that backed the ballot initiatives, said she was disappointed by the ruling.

Patrick Potyondy, policy manager for Colorado Common Cause, outlined five key areas that Census data affects: how many seats each state receives in the House of Representatives, legislative and congressional redistricting, the allocation of federal funds to states, legislative decision-making, and civil rights enforcement. “Unless we have really good data, we can’t make good decisions,” he said.

Our Executive Director Amanda Gonzalez was featured in Colorado Public Radio's new podcast, Purplish, on the subject of redistricting and gerrymandering.

Amanda Gonzalez, Executive Director of Colorado Common Cause, joined the Colorado Business Roundtable to talk about Amendments Y & Z - which would create fair and competitive congressional and legislative districts in Colorado by removing politicians and lobbyists from the drawing of new district lines.