This is your chance to give your views on redistricting.
The DC Council Subcommittee on Redistricting will hold a meeting focusing on Ward 7 Redistricting. The meeting takes place online on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 1:00 p.m.
Sign-up to testify here: https://bit.ly/3G2pW7A.
The virtual roundtable takes place via Zoom and Facebook Live and can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/CMElissaSilverman
Every ten years, states (and the District) re-draw the lines of their electoral districts to ensure that every vote has the same power. In DC, that means that the wards must be re-drawn so they have about the same population.
The US Census Bureau reported that the population for the District of Columbia was 689,545 persons in 2020. The Council has to make sure each of the eight wards will have a roughly equal population, about 86,193 residents, with a permitted deviation of plus or minus 5 percent. That works out to between 81,883 and 90,503 people in each ward.
Only three of the eight wards currently have populations outside those limits. Wards 7 and 8, with populations of 76,255 and 78,513 respectively, are slightly below the permitted range. On the other hand, Ward 6 has a population of 108,202. That means the ward lines must be redrawn to place at least 17,699 Ward 6 residents in another ward, without pushing any other ward’s population over 90,503.
You can provide your views on how this could effect Ward 7 at the virtual roundtable.
Witnesses may use their phone or computer to participate. Those who wish to testify must sign up no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 21st, 2021, by providing their information using the following link: https://forms.gle/
Witnesses must provide their name, email address, telephone number, organizational affiliation (if any), and job title (if any), as well whether they require language interpretation or sign language interpretation. Witnesses who require language interpretation or sign language interpretation are requested to email the Subcommittee at redistricting@dccouncil.us as soon as possible, but no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 14th, 2021, stating their need for interpretation and requested language.
The Council’s Office of the Secretary will fulfill timely requests for language interpretation services; however, requests received later than October 14th may not be fulfilled due to vendor availability.
On Friday, Oct. 22, the Subcommittee will email witnesses who signed up by then, in order to provide them with details about how to participate in the roundtable via the Zoom platform. Those planning to testify are encouraged to submit an electronic copy of written testimony by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22nd, so that they may distributed before the roundtable.
If anyone is unable to testify at the roundtable, written statements will be made a part of the official record. Submit these by email to redistricting@dccouncil.us.
You can also provide testimony by voice mail by calling (202) 350-1521, stating and spelling your name, stating any organizational affiliation and speaking slowly to provide a statement to be transcribed and included in the record. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5.
Find more information about the redistricting process at: https://www.elissasilverman.
