Redistricting
Our districts, our neighborhoods, and our families are what makes our communities unique and strong. In every state, Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) communities are growing and we should have a voice and a choice in representatives who share our values and backgrounds.
Right now, there are politicians who are trying to redraw the boundaries to make it easier for them to stay in power instead of listening to us and serving our community’s needs – like funding for good schools for our children. Fair districting gives us the opportunity to come together and advocate for the future of our community and our children.
We need to make it clear that it is we, the voters, who pick our leaders, and not the other way around.
Fighting for fair districting keeps our communities from being divided and our voices from being silenced.
By joining together to demand that we are included in the process of drawing fair district lines, we can ensure we have the opportunity to elect leaders who will truly represent us. Speak out for your community, your family, and your future today!
Let the line drawers know who you are and where you are. Everyone has a role in fair districting. Now is the time to uplift stories of where our growing communities live and work so that our elected officials are held accountable.
Get Involved Now
Here’s how you can get involved today:
Find out where your state is in terms of its redistricting timeline using the Princeton Gerrymandering Project. Please note – while some states have concluded their Congressional and State Legislative redistricting processes, others are still in the process of finalizing their maps. Still others will be moving into local redistricting processes that will determine how local government district lines are drawn (i.e. city council districts, school board districts, utility districts, etc.). For information about your city, town, or county’s local redistricting processes, we encourage you to visit their website and search for anything pertaining to “Redistricting.”
Find out what organizations are working on redistricting advocacy efforts in your state here.
Brush up on your knowledge of the redistricting process by using Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC’s resources here.
Get your friends and neighbors pumped about redistricting too by using this Asian American Redistricting Messaging Toolkit for Advocates, co-developed with Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC.
Clarify your goals by working with your neighbors to determine what issues you all care about, what level(s) of government impact those issues, and prepare to provide input to mapmakers about the ideal boundaries for your community.
Use a free mapping tool, like DistrictR or Representable, to map out the ideal boundaries of your “Community of Interest.” A “Community of Interest” is a group with shared interests and traits. This goes beyond a group of people who have the same racial background, but includes groups of people who share the same interests and concerns and so would benefit from being contained within the same district.
Use this Testimony Worksheet to help you craft an effective written or oral testimony to advocate for your community. Send your testimony in writing to the relevant redistricting authorities in your area.
Check out APIAVote’s redistricting trainings, provided through 2021, for specific states and regions to learn more!
- Contact Raymond Partolan, National Field Director, at rpartolan@apiavote.org to learn more or receive more specific assistance based on your city, state, or region!
