Background
GeoCivics offers state-based strategies to develop skills and knowledge for discussing electoral apportionment and redistricting, whether you are in the beginning, middle, or end of the process. The next complete population census and redistricting cycle are less than ten years away, and students and community members need to be prepared. Watch this video for an overview of activities and approaches.
These resources lay the groundwork for discussion through educational materials and geospatial data, leading students, teachers, and community members to engage in conversations about geography and representation. Where lines are drawn, by whom, and under what circumstances affect how people are governed. Communities should be equipped to ask questions of the cartographers creating electoral district maps.
In Rucho v. Common Cause (2019), the Supreme Court held that "Partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts". The federal courts will not provide guidance to those individuals who feel disenfranchised as a result of manipulation of electoral districts. Addressing whether electoral districts are fair requires people at the state and local levels to engage in substantive discussions about the guidelines mapmakers use to construct electoral maps. GeoCivics encourages everyone to take advantage of geospatial technology and use open-source online mapping tools to begin to assess current maps and think about a fair process for ensuring everyone's vote counts equally.
Interested in the genesis of GeoCivics? Explore this background information.
Spread the word about GeoCivics with this flyer.
For more information about GeoCivics, email Rebecca Theobald at rtheobal@uccs.edu or call 719-255-5217.