Location
Kent Free Library
312 W. Main St.
Kent
Ohio
44240
See map: Google Maps
Ohio US
Thursday, July 29, 2021 - 6:30pm
LWV Kent will be hosting a fair districts community mapping session July 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kent Free Library, 312 W. Main St., Kent. This in-person event is free and open to the community.
To register, click https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080948a9ae2aa3f49-community There are limited seats available.
Leagues across Ohio are involving community members in talking about and creating maps as guides and for discussion as the state undertakes redistricting after the 2020 Census. The League is advocating for community involvement in the creation of fair voting districts.
Why are we hosting community-mapping sessions?
The year 2021 is the year we in Ohio have been waiting for! It is the year that the Ohio legislature and the Ohio Redistricting Commission will draw new Ohio House and Senate districts and U.S. Congressional districts using the new procedures that were made part of the Ohio constitution after the Ohio League’s successful reform efforts in 2015 and 2018. (Ohioans voted overwhelmingly both times to support fair redistricting.)
Official mapping in Ohio will begin this fall. Given the delays in delivery of the 2020 U.S. census date, we can’t say for sure exactly when the work will begin. While we wait for the district map-drawing process to start, communities across Ohio are being encouraged to draw community maps.
What are community maps?
Community maps are exactly what they sound like: maps of communities, as defined by the community members themselves. These maps are based on neighborhoods, or areas with shared interests. Community maps are created by community members—without any specific rules regarding how those communities must be drawn in terms of population numbers, county splits, and so forth. The idea is simply to have communities tell their own stories and draw lines around the area that they consider to be a place of shared values, traditions, concerns, and lifestyles.
Why are community maps useful?
Community maps are not official maps, but they do build knowledge and power. They encourage community members to think through what their community looks like in terms of boundaries on a map and why their community should be kept together rather than split into two or more parts. Community members who have engaged in the map-drawing process will be better able to participate in public hearings and articulate, for example, what is wrong with a map that dissects their community.
How are the maps created?
We are using a software program called DistrictR to create community maps. This software is free and accessible to all. We also have trainers who can answer your questions and help you practice making a community map.
For more information about community mapping, click here.