Gerrymander Gazette: Trainings Galore Edition

There are a growing number of opportunities to learn how to impact this year’s redistricting process. Check them out in today’s edition of the Gerrymander Gazette!

Trainings and Events

• CHARGE Trainings
  • DistrictR Software Deep Dive: July 1st, 2021 from 5PM to 6:30PM ET. Register here.
  • Next Level Organizing (102) – Activism for Districting. Using Scripts: July 7th, 2021 from 7PM to 8PM ET. Register here.
  • Let’s End Prison-Based Gerrymandering: July 8th, 2021 from 1PM to 2PM ET. Register here.
  • Redistricting Community College: July 15th, 2021 from 6PM to 8PM ET. Register here. 
  • Next Level Organizing (102) – Activism for Districting. Using Scripts: July 17th, 2021 from 1PM to 3PM ET. Register here.
  • How Redistricting Organizers Can Lay the Groundwork for Litigation: July 22nd, 2021 from 1PM to 2PM ET. Register here.
• We Draw Oregon is hosting three training sessions for Oregon residents. Redistricting 101: Train the Trainers on June 29, Census Data, Blocks, and Community of Interests on July 6, and Facilitating Community Mapping: Asking the Right Questions and Testimony Prep on July 13.  
• Join the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance on Wednesday, June 30 at 7:00 pm ET for a panel discussion on the intersection between partisan and racial redistricting and the court system. Moderated by Camille Wimbish of Ohio Voice, panelists will include Dominik Whitehead, Vice President of Campaigns at the NAACP; Jessie Hill, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law; and Dan Vicuña, National Redistricting Manager at Common Cause national. Register here. 
• Join the Redistricting Data Hub at their upcoming training Using Data To Answer Questions About Your Communities – Thursday, July 1 from 1:30 to 2:00 pm ET. This training is for folks who are interested in using the data hosted on the Redistricting Data Hub website and want to learn more about how it can be applied. This training covers the basics of data analysis, and how individuals can use these skills to gain insights about their communities. Register here.
• Join Common Cause MD, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters MD on Thursday, July 8th, at 2pm for a virtual information session to learn about the MD Fair Maps Campaign and opportunities to get involved. MD Fair Maps is a 2021/22 campaign led by the Tame the Gerrymander (TTG) coalition. TTG is a coalition of nonpartisan organizations working to establish a fair and open process for drawing election districts in Maryland. Register here.

News

• National: GOP governors, including DeSantis, call for redistricting data. Tampa Bay Times. June 22, 2021.
• Arizona: Redistricting commission eyes late July start to statewide tour. AZ Mirror, June 23, 2021.
• California: Community Input Urged in L.A. County Redistricting. The Rafu Shimpo, June 24, 2021.
• Colorado: Dems pan proposed Colorado redistricting map. Politico, June 23, 2021.
• Maryland: Southern Maryland residents urge redistricting panel to adopt single-member districts, keep communities whole. WTOP, June 24, 2021.
• Oklahoma: Want to learn about Oklahoma’s congressional redistricting? Here’s how. The Oklahoman, June 25, 2021.
• Tennessee: Redistricting in Tennessee: An explanation of how the system works. Tennessee Lookout, June 24, 2021.
• Virginia: 
  • Redistricting Commission Works to Find Law and Communications Firms, WVTF, June 25, 2021.
  • Fairfax supervisors tap members of redistricting panel. Inside NOVA, June 25, 2021.
• Wisconsin: 
  • Senate approves measure to delay local redistricting, firearm sanctuary bill. Wisconsin State Journal, June 24, 2021.
  • Appeals Court rules against GOP leaders over redistricting. Wisconsin State Journal, June 24, 2021.
  • Wisconsin Democrats slam redistricting delay. The Neighbor, June 24, 2021.

Job Announcements

• Local Redistricting Commissions in California
  • The City of Carlsbad adopted an independent redistricting commission and is seeking applicants. The deadline to apply to this commission is on Wednesday, June 30 at 5 PM PT. Apply here.  
  • The City of Modesto’s hybrid redistricting commission is accepting applications until July 16. Apply here.
  • The City of Merced is seeking applicants to its advisory redistricting commission. The deadline has not been announced, but applications will likely need to be submitted before the end of July, as the City Council is making appointments on August 2. Merced redistricting commissioners will host four redistricting hearings on August 12th at 6PM, September 15th at 6PM, December 1st at 6PM and January 22nd at 10AM. Apply here.
  • The City of Brentwood in Contra Costa County recently launched the application for its hybrid redistricting commission. They are currently accepting applications until August 2. Apply here. 
• Yuma County (AZ) has extended the deadline to apply to the county’s Redistricting Advisory Commission to Wednesday, June 30. Download the application here.
• Unity Map Redistricting Project Coordinator job opening at LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Location: New York, NY. The Redistricting Project Coordinator will lead the Unity Maps & Redistricting Coalition by organizing and coordinating the joint efforts of key leaders in communities of color with the purpose of preparing and submitting Unity Maps for every level of districts in NYC; and will coordinate LatinoJustice Redistricting efforts this Census cycle. This is a one-year time-limited, part-time consultancy through June 30, 2022, given current funding resources. Decisions about extending the consultancy will be made 60 days in advance before the end of the term. Consultancy is based in LJP’s headquarters in NYC. The Redistricting Project Coordinator will report to LJP’s Legal Director and will supervise the Redistricting Data Analyst. Apply here.
• The City of Arlington (TX) is seeking applicants to serve on the newly created Redistricting Task Force, which will assist with advising the City Council on matters related to modifying the boundaries of Arlington’s five single-member City Council Districts in response to the 2020 U.S. Census. Learn more here.
• Fair Count, anchored in Atlanta, GA, is hiring a Program Director and a Digital and Social Media Manager.

This newsletter has been produced by Common Cause and compiled by Dan Vicuna. Subscribe to the Gerrymander Gazette here. For more information or to pass along news, contact Dan Vicuna.

Read past issues here.