Interested in receiving a quote for your own web-based, Collaborative Redistricting Toolkit?
Azavea (formerly Avencia) is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) web-based software design and development firm. Why would we be interested in building a public information site on redistricting?
The objective of this web site is not to simply publish information about the geography of legislative districts in the United States. We believe a confluence of the internet, geographic data and tools for online collaboration have the potential to transform the redistricting process by enabling citizens to participate directly in the effort. Rather than taking place in meetings behind closed doors where incumbent legislators parcel out blocks of voters in order to guarantee they remain in office (the usual process in many cities and states), redistricting should occur (at least in part) in the most public forum possible: the web.
We believe citizens and community groups should be enabled to:
We propose the development of online software tools that will enable this type of collaborative redistricting process. What would software like this look like? Well, we’ve taken a crack at that by creating an interactive Draw Your Own District tool which is only the first phase for a much more elaborate set of tools for a Collaborative Redistricting Toolkit. The Toolkit can enable users to do the following:
Draw your own district: Search for a district through an address, district number or legislator, view its current boundaries and redraw its boundaries by either adding or removing blocks between districts or by drawing polygons or lines. As you make changes, see how demographics (race, average income, family size, property value, etc.), population, and compactness change.
Get feedback on your plan: As you make changes to your plan get instantaneous feedback about how it measures up in terms of population, demographics and compactness, and how it compares to the original plan. Problems are also highlighted automatically, e.g. too many people in your plan; some districts are missing from your plan, etc.
View your district plan's demographics:View your plan’s demographics (race, income, family size, property value, people per sq. mile, data of your choice, etc.) and voting tendencies of the citizens within your district plan’s boundaries.
Save multiple redistricting plans: Return to them and modify them later.
Share your plan: Share with members of your community, city councils, redistricting commissions, and redistricting contests.
Publish your plan: When it’s ready, publish your plan to the social media outlet of your choice (or any other outlets or advocacy campaigns of your choice) so others can find it, respond to it, and score it.
Have Your Own Ideas? Let us Know. We build custom software, so let us know what you’d like us to add to your toolkit.
