On June 8, 2021, Merced County hosted its first public hearing on redistricting. Residents were able to attend in-person or watch virtually, and the recorded hearing is available on the County’s YouTube channel and on the County’s redistricting website, www.DrawMercedCounty.org.
The National Demographics Corporation’s (NDC) informative presentation gave attendees insight into the redistricting process and how to get involved.
To give residents an opportunity to learn more about the public mapping tools, ensure their community is represented, and connect with others that are interested in the redistricting process, Merced County will host a workshop at the Merced County Office of Education, Downtown Professional Development Center (Mondo Building) at the corner of Main and Canal streets in Merced on July 13, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.
Residents may also participate in the workshop at a secondary location in Los Banos at the Westside Transitional Center (Wellness Center) at 40 W. G St., Suite B, Los Banos or watch the live broadcast on the County Facebook page or website. Registration is encouraged but not mandatory for the event. Visit www.DrawMercedCounty.org/workshops to register.
The next public hearing will be held on August 10, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. The second hearing will provide more information about the redistricting process and dive deeper into communities of interest, defined as:
- groups of people that share common social or economic interests,
- groups that live in a geographically defined area, and
- groups that should be included within a single district for purposes of effective and fair representation in future elections.
The hearing will also cover how to use DistrictR and Maptitude, the mapping tools that residents can use to draw and submit their own maps.
Although the official Census data are not available yet, DistrictR and Maptitude will be available to the public this summer. Residents will have an opportunity to get familiar with the system and start drawing the lines of their neighborhood and community prior to the next hearing, using population estimates.
The final two public hearings will be held on November 16, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. and December 7, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. For more information on Merced County’s redistricting process or to sign up for updates and information, visit www.DrawMercedCounty.org.