Officeholders in the Californian Congress may soon have to prepare for re-elections as the draft political maps were shared with the people on Wednesday. It would create a shift in lines to accommodate a better demographical division.
The last time these maps were drawn was over a decade ago, to reflect on the changes in the population and their ethnic and cultural background. The re-distribution is expected to strengthen the Latino stronghold, as over 12 districts were seen to have a significant population of them.
Sara Sadhwani, the Commissioner, said, “I have a laundry list of areas that I think will need a lot of refinement.” When the low-resolution draft maps were released, one could hardly put two and two together.
The current geographical divisions around the Orange Counties and the Los Angeles areas were covered with text overlay, which made them unable to be deciphered. However, maps with better views were updated later in the day for voters to see before casting the ballot.
The commissions are not delving into much detail, as huge chunks of data need to be analyzed, maps need to be redrawn and compliance with the Voters Rights Act also needs to be accomplished so that no voter groups feel marginalized, or sidelined through the re-drawn map.
“How can they say the VRA is being honored with that level of detail? You can’t,” said GOP redistricting expert Matt Rexroad. “The whole process is supposed to be open and transparent.” He added.
Each district is estimated to have a population of 761,000 roughly. The data is huge to accommodate, for the 14 members independent commission, who have to then submit it for a 2-week public review window. The entire process has to culminate within this year.
The state is additionally losing out on a Congressional seat, which will affect its federal value at the U.S. House of Representatives, even though it continues to be the largest with 52 seats after the 2022 mid-term elections.
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