County Of Dane : DANE COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION ASKS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SUBMIT MAPS 

Press release from the County of Dane:

September 03, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:September 3, 2021                                Ken Opin, Redistricting Commission Chair                                                               Ken.opin@gmail.com                                                               Nakia Wiley, Redistricting Commission Vice-Chair                                                               Wiley.nakia@kw.com                                                                Brian Standing, Dane County Planning                                                               standing@countyofdane.com 

DANE COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION ASKS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SUBMIT MAPS 

Dane County’s 11-member Redistricting Commission is accepting maps from members of the public from now until September 19, 2021.  

In 2016, the Dane County Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance Amendment 2016 OA-32, which created a nonpartisan independent citizen Redistricting Commission. The Commission was appointed by County Board Chair Analiese Eicher and County Clerk Scott McDonell following an application process in 2020.

As a part of the ordinance amendment, members of the public are able to submit maps for consideration by the Redistricting Commission.  The Commission is using District Builder for interested members of the public to submit maps.  Members of the public can access the platform here: https://app.districtbuilder.org/o/dane_county 

“I’m eager to see the submissions from members of the public,” said Redistricting Commission Chair Ken Opin.  “This is a great opportunity for the residents of the County to directly impact what these maps look like.”  

Maps will be evaluated on the following criteria:•    Each district should represent the same population size, be contiguous, and compact.•    Minimize the number of municipal boundaries crossed •    Shall ensure fair and effective representation of the diverse ethnic and racial population in Dane County •    Take into consideration geography and natural boundaries such as rivers and lakes. •    Keep intact neighborhoods and communities of interest and association, whether historical, racial, economic, ethnic, religious, or other. •    Districts shall be drawn without regard to incumbency.

The Redistricting Commission will be meeting several times in September including on September 9, 14, 23, and 30, all at 7:00pm.  Information to connect to the meetings will be at the top of the agendas available here.  

More information on the redistricting process along with a how-to video can be found here: https://www.danecountyplanning.com/Projects/Redistricting  

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