You may have heard about redistricting, which sounds like an arcane bureaucratic activity that does not interest you. But redistricting will influence the partisan balance of power in the Florida Legislature and the U.S. Congress for the next decade. Redistricting will determine how influential your vote will be until 2032.

The Florida Senate has released drafts of eight Senate and eight congressional maps, which are posted on the website. The press is giving them good reviews, but all versions of the Senate maps divide Alachua County into two districts. Alachua County tends to vote differently than the surrounding counties and we are not aware of any reason to divide our county.

A recording is now available of the LWVAC Virtual Candidate Forum for the City of Gainesville Special Election to fill the Gainesville City Commission’s At-Large Seat B. The election is scheduled for November 16. This is a non-partisan election and all registered voters who live within the city of Gainesville limits may vote in this election.

The Legislature is gearing up to draw state and congressional districts that will define our voting options for the next decade. So, we should start to think about the process and how we want to be involved.