Here at Groundwork, we're keeping a close eye on redistricting this year.

As you know, our work is centered on supporting local community organizing and creating year-round democratic infrastructure. Because we believe that is the single best way to build political power in disenfranchised communities and to diversify the voices driving our debates.

Redistricting plays a massive role in how political power is distributed in this country. And that makes it a really big deal.

However, eyes tend to gloss over at the topic of redistricting. And it’s understandable! It’s confusing, a bit wonky, and varies state by state.

So we’re on the lookout for state organizations that are making it easier for people to engage in the process and use their voices to influence the process of drawing new political maps this year. In Massachusetts we have a coalition called Drawing Democracy that is sharing helpful content and volunteer opportunities to help voters not only understand but take action in their communities. Check them out.

Do you have a similar organization in your area? We want to know about them! Take a moment to fill out our redistricting survey.

Groundwork hopes to support these efforts where we can and help YOU have what you need to organize around this topic.

To start, we wanted to share some helpful talking points about what redistricting is, why it’s important, and how you can get involved:

• What is it? Redistricting is the act of reassessing and deciding how political power is distributed in our country every ten years. Census data is used to distribute representation and depending on the state, the state legislature or independent commissions decide where to place federal, state, and local district lines. This means everything from Congressional seats to your local school committee.
   
• Why does it matter? Redistricting plays an essential role in ensuring fair representation for every community and voter. How the maps are drawn directly influences who runs for office, who turns out to vote, and which demographics hold influence. Not surprisingly this process has historically been used to dilute power for BIPOC and working-class voters and preserve the status quo. See: Gerrymandering.
   
• How does the GOP use redistricting for their agenda? This is where the GOP is flexing the organizing power they have spent decades building. Their deep local investments in every state on the map have given them a powerful upperhand in the state legislatures that largely control how these new political maps will be drawn. The Census data released so far this year is clearly in the GOP’s favor.

Which means Democrats need to be more engaged in this process than ever before, fighting for maps that will ensure equitable, diverse, and just representation.

So we want to hear from you. What organizations are in your community? What questions do you have about redistricting? And what resources do you think are needed to help educate the Democratic base on this critical topic?

Take the Groundwork Project Redistricting Survey now.

Thanks,

Matt