What does democracy mean to you?

One of the fundamental principles of our country is that one person is equal to one vote. Your vote is the same as everyone else’s regardless of your gender, race, ethnicity, the amount of money you have or the possessions you’ve acquired.

If you care about this tenet of our democracy, it’s important to get involved in the redistricting process currently underway in the county of Santa Clara.

Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census has been completed, political district maps are redrawn at the congressional, state and local levels to account for shifts in population. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will approve new district maps in December 2021. To help guide the supervisors in this process, the board set up a commission of 15 community members, three from each supervisorial district, to make recommendations on new district boundaries.

Each of the five supervisorial districts is allocated based on population, so that each has nearly the same number of people. However, the new district lines must also factor in topography, geography, cohesiveness, contiguousness, compactness of territory and communities of interest.

How county district maps are drawn and how communities of interest are aligned are critical to equal representation. For the next 10 years, the county supervisors that represent your community will make decisions on road projects, affordable housing, health care and many other issues and county services that affect people’s day-to-day lives. That is why your input into the redistricting process could make a difference in your and your neighbors’ lives for years to come.

The 15-member commission is tasked with the responsibility to draw equitable maps based off of these parameters. The commission needs help from the community to inform the redistricting process. The input from people living in our communities is paramount. Generations of knowledge lie within each block of our county. This information is vital to the creation of equitable maps so that each person in Santa Clara County has fair representation on the Board of Supervisors.

Throughout the process, members of the public will be allowed to comment, share their perspectives and draw their own district maps. Public training will be made available for people to learn how to use the mapping software and gain an understanding of other facets of the redistricting process.

Commission meetings will be held virtually every two weeks at 6:30 p.m. In October, meetings will occur weekly. The commission will also hold public hearings, mapping sessions and a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors in the fall.

The commission is scheduled to meet on Sept. 22, Sept. 29, Oct. 6, Oct. 13, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. There will be an additional meeting on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.

  • During the redistricting process, residents will have the opportunity to:
  • Attend and speak at the 2021 Advisory Redistricting Commission’s meetings.
  • Complete a Community of Interest Form to tell us about their community.
  • Submit maps electronically describing communities of interest or proposed supervisorial district boundaries.
  • Advocate for the district they want or the district map they prefer.
  • Participate in the joint public hearing with the Board of Supervisors and the 2021 Advisory Redistricting Commission
  • Participate in the November and December Board of Supervisors meetings when the new maps are considered and adopted

Santa Clara County hopes you will take advantage of the many ways to get involved in the redistricting process and invest in your future. Fair county supervisorial district maps are vital to ensuring equal representation for all people. Your participation can help build a better Santa Clara County for everyone.

For more information on the County of Santa Clara Redistricting process, visit https://ift.tt/3kb8sg9.

Nancy Smith is chair of the Santa Clara County 2021 Advisory Redistricting Commission.