(February 9, 2010) Business organizations have a little more time to urge their members to apply for the Citizens Redistricting Commission and get involved in the process, as California State Auditor Elaine Howle has extended the application deadline to February 16.
December 15 marked the opening of the period for Californians to apply to serve on the first-ever Citizens Redistricting Commission, which will draw new state Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization district lines. To date, more than 19,900 applications have been submitted. The application process closes February 16.
The commission was established when voters approved the Proposition 11 redistricting reform initiative last November. The CalChamber-supported measure allows the citizens of California—rather than the legislators—to draw legislative districts, thereby eliminating the inherent conflict of interest in the current system. This process will make California a national leader in redistricting reform.
The application process is open to every registered California voter who will have been continuously registered in California with the same political party, or with no political party, for the five years immediately prior to being appointed to the commission, and who has voted in at least two of the last three statewide general elections.
For more information, membership requirements and to apply to the commission, visit www.WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov, or call (866) 356-5217. Follow the process on Twitter at @WeDrawTheLines and tag related tweets with #WeDrawTheLines
Citizens Redistricting Commission
Every 10 years—after the federal census—California must redraw the boundaries of its Senate, Assembly and State Board of Equalization districts to reflect the new population data.
In a live webcast from the CalChamber on October 14, 2009, Howle stressed that business organizations need to urge their members to apply for the commission and get involved in the process. The webcast of Howle’s remarks and the accompanying slides are available on the CalChamber website at www.calchamber.com.
Howle is responsible for establishing the process for individuals to apply to become members of the 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission, selecting a panel to assess the applicants and creating an applicant pool of 60 of the most qualified applicants. The 14 commissioners, comprised of five Democrats, five Republicans, and four members of other parties or who have no political party affiliation, will be selected from the group. Applications are available online at www.WeDrawtheLines.ca.gov.
Once selected, the commission will draw the new district lines in conformity with strict, non-partisan rules designed to create districts of reasonably equal population that will provide fair representation for all Californians. The commission must also consider the Voting Rights Act, current geographic boundaries and other criteria when drawing the new lines. In addition, the new boundaries must not be drawn to favor any particular party or incumbent elected official.
Keep Track of Interested Parties
To help CalChamber keep track of the business community’s efforts, e-mail names of interested parties to redistricting@calchamber.com.