PREPARED FOR: Webinar on Census & Redistricting Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Monthly Webinar Series 2020: • May: Census Response Rates & Reaching Historically Undercounted Communities : https://bit.ly/3etLD28 • April: Non-Response Follow Up & Local Outreach: https://bit.ly/2KmMqV2 • March: Census Mailing Responses & Self Response: https://bit.ly/2QGoZcT 2019: • February: Questionnaire Assistance Centers and Libraries: https://bit.ly/2PMFwf3 • December: Engaging K-12 Students/Teachers on the 2020 Census: https://bit.ly/2S4YCON • October: Engaging College Students on the 2020 Census https://bit.ly/2QHSbkt • September: Census & Data https://bit.ly/2ozGlwO • August: Organizing, Engagement, and Census Bureau and Partnerships https://bit.ly/2zalbaI • June: Citizenship Question – Next Steps https://bit.ly/30IxaYz 2
Monthly Webinar Series 2019 (continued): • May: Digital Tools – Hard to Count Map http://bit.ly/2IcohyQ • April: Engaging the LGBTQ AANHPI Community https://bit.ly/2Hy27bq • March: Fundraising https://bit.ly/2DlGl8i • March: Digital Tools – CommunityConnect Labs https://bit.ly/2HOvpD6 • February: Engaging the AANHPI Faith Community https://bit.ly/2HueDcX 2018: • November: The Race Question https://bit.ly/2U1GXpN • October: Communications – Messaging Deep Dive https://bit.ly/2Fq512S • September: How are People Counted in the Census? https://bit.ly/2Prvr81 • August: Census FAQs https://bit.ly/2zb6jsk 3
Agenda •Overview of CountUsIn2020.org •844-2020-API Census Language Hotline •Redistricting and Local AANHPI Community Involvement •High-Level Legal Considerations •Intersectionality of Communities of Color and Redistricting •The 2020 Census and Redistricting 4
www.CountUsIn2020.org Visit our new census website for our resources, partner resources, press releases, latest news, social media, and more! 5
Census Language Hotline Check out our toolkit here: https://bit.ly/hotlinetoolkit 6
Census Language Hotline 7
Karuna Ramachandran Director of Statewide Partnerships Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta 8
From Census to Redistricting Census data translates to real changes in our states and communities AANHPIs are the fastest growing populations in the U.S. electorate As our communities’ voting power grows we can expect more efforts at voter suppression
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of district lines to impact the results of an election. Gerrymandering can affect the actual power Gwinnett County our communities’ have to In 2018, Gwinnett County Black Alone: 29.8% elect a candidate of elected its 1st person of Hispanic or Latino: choice at all levels. color EVER to the board 21.7% of education Asian Alone: 12.5% AI/AN: 0.8% Native Hawaiian/ PI: 0.1% White/ Not Hispanic Alone: 35.4%
Why Should AANHPI Communities Get Involved in Redistricting? We should be self-determined! Proactive involvement can weaken gerrymandering attempts. AANHPI communities have power! We can hold elected officials accountable and demand information about redistricting processes at any level. Together with other communities we can build long-term power over the next decade.
Justin Valas Policy Director Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago
How can AANHPI communities get involved? Campaigns Representatives Redistricting Census 13
How can AANHPI communities get involved? •Talk to your communities •Build new relationships •Find partners •Learn about your state-specific timelines and rules for redistricting 14
How can AANHPI communities get involved? • Talk to your communities – Why redistricting is important – What would your community look like on a map? – What other communities share space or interests with us? • Find partners • Build new relationships • Learn about your state-specific timelines and rules for redistricting 15
How can AANHPI communities get involved? • Talk to your communities • Build new relationships – What other communities are in your area? – Who else should be “at the table”? • Find partners • Learn about your state-specific timelines and rules for redistricting 16
How can AANHPI communities get involved? • Talk to your communities • Build new relationships • Find partners – What organizations are already working in your communities? – What organizations do you already partner with? – What organizations are already looking at redistricting? • Learn about your state-specific timelines and rules for redistricting 17
How can AANHPI communities get involved? • Talk to your communities • Find partners • Build new relationships • Learn about your state-specific timelines and rules for redistricting – Not all states follow the same guidelines and timelines 18
Julia Marks Staff Attorney, Voting Rights and Census Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
Redistricting: Preliminary Questions • Where are you engaging in redistricting? • What levels of redistricting are you engaging in? • Congressional • State legislative • Local city, county, school board
Redistricting: Preliminary Questions • Key parts of the redistricting process vary between states • Timeline • Who decides the maps • How can community-members provide testimony • Criteria for drawing districts
Redistricting Criteria – Equal Population • Each district must have the same total population • This is required everywhere--no matter what state you’re in! • Stricter standard for congressional districts than for state & local districts
Redistricting Criteria – Voting Rights Act • Maps must comply with the federal Voting Rights Act • The Voting Rights Act was passed to address discrimination against communities of color • Lines have been manipulated to decrease voting power for communities of color – VRA is meant to stop that
Redistricting Criteria – Voting Rights Act • VRA requires a majority-minority district if: • The minority group is large & geographically concentrated • The minority group is politically cohesive, and the majority group votes to defeat the minority group’s preferred candidates • The “totality of the circumstances” show vote dilution
Other Common Redistricting Criteria • Communities of Interest • Community or group of people who have common interests and policy concerns • What makes a neighborhood or community unique? • What shared goals do people have? • What shared traits & characteristics do people have?
Other Common Redistricting Criteria • Contiguity • All parts of the district are adjacent • Political Boundaries • Follow political boundaries so cities and/or counties are kept together • Compactness • Create districts where people generally live near each other
Other Common Redistricting Criteria • Natural Boundaries • Existing Legislative Boundaries (nesting) • Incumbency • Political Outcomes
Steven Ochoa National Redistricting Coordinator Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Terry Ao Minnis Senior Director of Voting and Census Programs Asian Americans Advancing Justice l AAJC
Census Data & Redistricting • Apportionment Data: Constitutionally-mandated • By January 1 of the year after the census: Commerce Dept must deliver apportionment counts to the president (total population, and number of congressional seats, of each state) • By January 10, delivery of the apportionment counts from president to Congress • Redistricting Data: P.L. 94-171 file • Commerce Department must provide states with the block-level population and demographic data needed to redistricting (commonly known the “P.L. 94-171 file” or simply the “P.L. file”) by no later than April 1 of the year after the census (as required by statute).
COVID-19 & 2020 Census: Operational Delays •In March 2020 – Global COVID-19 pandemic began to publicly intensify in the United States & many states issued stay-at-home orders – Census Bureau suspended its field activities and closed field offices •In April 2020, the Bureau adjusted its operational schedule – Extends its census data collection into the Fall and proposing a 3- month extension with a new end date for field operations and self- response of no later than Oct. 31, 2020 • Current Operational Plan (fluid and ever changing) – In July, census takers (PPE required) began NRFU in selected areas. NRFU starts nationwide in August 2020. – Mobile Questionnaire Assistance – Census Bureau staff goes into communities with the lowest 2020 Census response rates to assist people with responding on their own– is available July 13-Sept 18 – Group Quarters – currently ongoing and ends by Sept. 3, 2020. 31
COVID-19 & 2020 Census: Request for Deadline Extensions • Request to Congress in Shifting Statutory Deadlines by 4 months: – Delivering of apportionment counts to the President: delivery would be moved from December 31, 2020 to April 30, 2021 – Delivering of redistricting data to states: delivery would be moved from April 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021 32
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