Town Of Arlington: Reprecincting In Arlington

Press release from Town of Arlington:

10/20/2021 4:30 PM

Reprecincting Update

The Select Board voted on October 13, 2021 to maintain 21 precincts in Arlington.  The Legislature has released their proposed district maps which are available for comment until Monday, October 18 at 5:00 PM. The proposed lines for Arlington do not currently account for any changes Arlington must make to our precincts based on data from the 2020 Census.  The Reprecincting Working Group (RWG) will review the options and present a proposal to the Select Board on November 8. The RWG believes it will not be necessary for Arlington to split any precincts based on the proposed district maps. 

Previous maps and proposals remain available for review:

The second round of draft maps for 16 and 21 precincts prepared by the RWG based on 2020 Census data for population, race and additional data on household income, rent or own status, and housing density. In addition, where possible the working group has incorporated public comments received over the past few weeks, which were helpful in identifying complicated neighborhoods or boundaries in need of further review. The state provided a new 16-precinct map based on the newly released 2020 Census population data.

Information presented to the Select Board at their 10/13/21 hearing. View the presentation.

• Town Draft 2 - 16 Precincts - full size (click here for the interactive map)
• Town Draft 2 - 21 Precincts - full size - adjusted 10/5 (click here for the interactive map) 
• State Draft 2 - 16 precincts
• Current Precinct Map for reference
• Population and race data spreadsheets for the maps

The second draft of the Town 21 Precincts map was corrected along the boundary of Precincts 16 and 17.  An earlier draft was posted mistakenly. Note that the state maps do not consider racial, economic, or local housing data.

To see a full description of the reprecincting process, along with an interactive map showing demographic layers and an alternate proposal by a resident, visit Voter Reprecincting in Response to the 2020 Census.  

Because of the delay in preparing new maps and corresponding explanatory documents, the comment period has been extended an additional week – until October 8th. Share your feedback on the Google Form.

The Fact Sheet/FAQ has been updated to help residents get answers to the most common, and some new, questions. Both below and in the Fact Sheet are links to several reports:

• Equity Focus Explained  (including maps illustrating the data we used)
• Voter Reprecincting in Response to the 2020 Census (interactive maps and mapping data)

The interactive maps allow residents to explore the proposed precinct boundaries and demographic data.

Timeline – dates and links will be updated throughout the month

• Through October 8: public comment on updated draft maps
• September 13: Arlington received 2020 Census data files and began refining maps based on actual population numbers (instead of the population projections provided by the state earlier this summer)
• September 13: Select Board hearing to discuss overall number of precincts (meeting details)
• September 22: Reprecincting Zoom Forum (meeting details)
• September 23: Opportunity to view paper maps at Town Hall (meeting details)
• October 13: Select Board hearing (meeting details)
• November 8: Select Board hearing on revised maps
• November 22: Select Board vote to approve final submission
• April 2022: Local elections based on new precinct boundaries

How to Share Feedback

The Town is seeking feedback from the community on the proposed precinct boundary lines.  The goal of the reprecincting effort is to ensure fair representation in local elections. You can assist in this effort by sharing your thoughts about the following:

• Areas of town where adjusting a line will better reflect the community within a given precinct
• Precinct boundaries that may isolate a group of residents with potentially different local needs or concerns
• Provide input on the overall number of precincts to the Select Board

The RWG will aggregate community feedback into revised precinct map alternatives. All of the alternative maps  and  public comments will be shared with the Select Board to inform their decision.

Residents may submit feedback using any of the methods listed below.

Online:           Google Form
Email:             TownClerk@town.arlington.ma.us
Mail:               Town Clerk, 730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476
Drop Box:      Town Hall drop boxes are located in front of the building or in the parking lot off Academy St.

Overview of the Process and Proposals

Every ten years all communities in the Commonwealth are required to review their population numbers after the Federal Census results are published and submit a new precinct map for approval by the State. The Select Board begins by reviewing a draft of the new boundaries created by the Secretary of State and proposing adjustments, if necessary. The Select Board votes to approve the final map and precinct descriptions and submits the final map by October 30, 2021. The draft maps prepared by the State require local input as the State’s mapping algorithm focuses only on population numbers. Community review of the boundary lines and underlying demographic data from the Federal Census is needed to adjust the boundaries so they respect natural neighborhoods and protect voting rights of minority groups. Residents are invited to provide feedback through a variety of channels to assist the RWG in preparing draft maps for review by the Select Board.

Arlington Town Clerk Juli Brazile has proposed that the Select Board reduce the number of precincts from 21 to 16 to allow more flexibility in the face of anticipated changes to election law, especially regarding early voting and vote by mail. The Clerk has prepared a fact sheet (revised 10/1/21) with information on the reprecincting process and guidance on how the public can be involved. The League of Women Voters of Arlington, Election Modernization Committee and Envision Arlington volunteers held a virtual forum to encourage discussion and facilitate feedback.

Previous Draft Maps

Below are letter-sized maps for at home printing, public review and comment. Two of the maps were provided by the State, and are based exclusively on population projections. The Town draft maps have been drawn using additional information, including 2019 data on race and ethnicity, household income, and household tenure (whether a household rents or owns their home). These draft maps do not reflect local input or final population numbers.

• State Draft – 21 Precincts
• State Draft – 16 Precincts
• Town Draft – 21 Precincts
• Town Draft – 16 Precincts

Need More Information?

The fact sheet (revised 10/1/21) summarizes legal requirements and restrictions on the process.

Watch the Reprecincting Overview video below for a summary of the process, draft maps, and how to share feedback. 

Learn more about the option to reduce the Town's overall number of precincts from 21 to 16 by hearing from Town Clerk, Juliana Brazile, about how local elections are run and how changes to the number of precincts would impact residents. 

The Secretary of State’s staff met with Reprecincting Working Groups over the summer to help explain the details to each community. You can review the presentation here. 

The Reprecincting Working Group

Given the many resolutions passed by Town Meeting to celebrate past and present diversity in Arlington, as well as the Town’s ongoing initiatives to advance racial equity efforts, the Town has established a Reprecincting Working Group to move beyond basic population numbers and look closely at how precinct boundaries are drawn. The Reprecincting Working Group is comprised of the following Town staff:

• Juliana Brazile, Town Clerk
• Jillian Harvey, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Adam Kurowski, Director of GIS / Systems Analyst
• Kelly Lynema, Senior Planner, Department of Planning and Community Development

The Reprecincting Working Group has sought to bring more equity to the process, considering factors such race, ethnicity, age, income, homeownership, and equitable elections of Town Meeting Members when drafting proposed boundaries.

This press release was produced by Town of Arlington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.