The Delaware Map-Off: Where Voters Pick Their Representatives

People Powered Fair Maps is an independent, nonpartisan district map-drawing process that ensures transparency. Fair Maps works to represent the voice of the people. When people have direct avenues for influencing the drawing of districts in their communities, voters choose their representatives instead of representatives choosing their voters

The People Powered Fair Maps of Delaware Project is pleased to announce the launch of its Delaware Map-Off. We are challenging the public to draw community districts for our upcoming redistricting.

CATEGORIES:

• Partisan Fairness: Draw either a 41 Delaware District House map or a 21-District Delaware State Senate map that reflects partisan fairness.  Of note, this does not mean that we expect the map to generate proportional representation. In your essay, please describe your chosen metric of partisan fairness.
• Stealth Gerrymander: The goal is to create a map that has contiguous and compact districts, but hides a gerrymander that disproportionately favors one political party. In your essay, please describe how your map embeds partisan advantage.
• Competition:  Incumbent advantages should be durable for the entire decade. Note that because of natural population patterns, not every district can be competitive. In your essay, please describe why you believe the map reflects durable advantage or maximum competition.
• Communities of Interest (COI): For potential COIs, please use Representable.org's.  In your essay, please describe which COIs you chose to preserve and why you made that selection.

RULES:

1. Each district should be contiguous and should meet, to the extent possible, all state-law criteria for the given map. Populations should be as equal as possible, with any deviation explained in your essay. Maximum allowable district-level population deviations are +/-5% for legislative maps. Extra consideration may be given to maps that remain significantly below these thresholds. All About Redistricting's state page.
2. Maps should be drawn using Dave's Redistricting at the block level using 2020 shapes and the default composite election results.
3. Each submission must include a short essay (200-400 words) on what the mapper was trying to accomplish and why the map should win. The essay should also address what factors were sacrificed in order to achieve the goal of the specific contest you are entering. The essay should be clear and understandable. We recommend drafting your essay in a separate word processor prior to starting the submission form.
4. Maps may be submitted on behalf of individuals or on behalf of groups. If an individual submits maps on behalf of a group, they may also submit separate maps on behalf of themselves as individuals. For groups, please designate a primary contact person. Each individual mapper may not submit on behalf of more than one group.
5. Each mapper is permitted only one map per category. If multiple maps are received, the judges will evaluate the last map received. You may enter only once or you may enter as many as you want, it's your choice!
6.  All maps must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET September 15th to LWVDE [at] comccast.net 
7. Links to maps drawn in Dave's Redistricting, as well as accompanying essays, should be submitted via the Entry Form, below.
8. Winners will be chosen, based on our assessment of maps and essays together. We reserve the right to award prizes to additional maps that reflect other criteria, including potential winners for those maps that represent the best in minority opportunity, best in respecting political boundaries, and best partisan or incumbency gerrymander. Get creative, and if you can explain to us what you did and why you did it well, you just might be awarded a special prize!  Winners to be announced on Friday, October 1st

  1st Place $100 Visa Gift Card

2nd Place $50 Visa Gift Card

3rd Place $25 Visa Gift Card

• Maps and essays submitted may be used by the League of Women Voters of Delaware, or our state partners for promotional purposes, as well as for research and analysis purposes. Our team will attribute maps and essays to authors where feasible.

  Please Submit all maps and essays to LWVDE [at] comcast.net