The Orange County Board of Supervisors is seeking the public’s help as it prepares to redraw its district lines by Dec. 15.
The redistricting process is based on population. It determines which county neighborhoods are grouped together for the purpose of electing a board member as a representative.
The board of supervisors is seeking public input on how they think the district lines would best represent communities.
“It’s really important to take into account those communities of interest where they’ve got common things that are amongst all of the community members, so that we don’t break up those communities into different supervisorial districts,” Supervisor Lisa Bartlett told The Epoch Times. “As we work through the redistricting process, we take into account culture and areas where people share standards or similar living standards.”
According to the Orange County redistricting guidelines, the board will follow the criteria of ensuring a practical and efficient new map.
Criteria include that each district shares a common border, the minimization of division of neighborhoods and communities, easily identifiable boundaries, and geographic compact lines.
The redistricting process uses data from the 2020 census to determine population sizes. Since the census was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the board is attempting to move quickly to meet the redistricting deadline, Bartlett said.
The board of supervisors will hold its first public redistricting hearing on June 22.
The public can also attend workshops in each supervisorial district in August to provide feedback and comments on draft maps.
Once approved, redistricting lines will be ready to use in the 2022 primary election.
