Elective office

Federal, Congressional, State Legislative & Board of Equalization 

TIME FRAME FOR REDISTRICTING

By: December 15, 2021 - To find out more visit wedrawthelines.ca.gov

Done by the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission

Criteria Applied to Drawing District Lines

  1. Equal Population - Districts must be of equal population to comply with the U.S. Constitution.

  2. Voting Rights Act - Districts must comply with the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minorities have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice.

  3. Geographic Contiguity - Districts must be contiguous so that all parts of the district are connected to each other.

  4. Communities* of Interest Preservation Districts must respect the boundaries of cities, counties, neighborhoods and communities of interest, and minimize their division, to the extent possible.

  5. Geographic Compactness - Districts should be geographically compact, that is, have a fairly regular shape.

  6. Political Boundaries - Where practicable each Senate District should be comprised of two complete and adjacent Assembly Districts. Board of Equalization districts shall be composed of 10 complete and adjacent State Senate Districts.

  7. Prohibit Favoritism - Districts shall not be drawn to favor or discriminate against an incumbent, candidate, or political party.

    California Constitution article XXI
    CA Government Code, sections 8251 - 8253.6

transparancy and public Engagement

Strict transparency and public engagement requirements for the whole process. Details are outlined in the government code cited: California Constitution article XXI, CA Government Code, sections 8251 - 8253.6

For the Commission application and selection process: State Auditor's Office conducts outreach program to alert the public to the application process and encourage the submission of applications by a diverse pool of qualified applicants with specific requirements. Entire process of selection, including interviews, conducted in public, and available online. CA Code of Regulations, section 60840.

For the Commission's work:

CA Constitution mandates open and transparent process.

  • Commission must Comply with Bagley-Keene Act (all meetings noticed 14 days in advance except meeting in August to adopt final maps)

  • Public access to all records

  • Promote public input by all means

California Constitution article XXI
CA Government Code, sections 8251 - 8253.6

* A community of interest is defined by FairVote as a "group of people in a geographical area, such as a specific region or neighborhood, who have common political, social or economic interests.”