Local Redistricting Action Kit

In Brief

• While much attention is given to congressional and legislative redistricting during the redistricting cycle, few are aware that every ten years all Minnesota counties (about 80 cities with wards, and some school districts where school board members are elected by election districts) are also required to review population and demographics changes and adjust district lines as necessary. 

• Similar to the legislature, elected officials in counties and most cities make the final decision on how their maps are drawn. This creates the same potential for manipulation to benefit specific policy interests.

• Since few people are aware that local redistricting occurs and this process does not receive much publicity, there is very little public involvement. As a result, elected officials make decisions on who votes for them with limited public involvement or transparency.

• While these are nonpartisan positions, different parts of a county, city or school district can have very different policy preferences or needs which can be impacted – positively or negatively – depending on how district lines are drawn.

• Most people do not understand the number of services provided by their local governments and the amount of funding and resources they control. County governments in particular provide a wide range of services including law enforcement and corrections, public safety, parks, medical services, road maintenance and construction, housing development, and elections.

This People Powered Fair Maps™ (PPFM) Local Redistricting Action Kit provides information and tools gathered from state and national sources to be a resource for local Leagues, League members, and the public to learn more about local redistricting in Minnesota, as well as how they can engage local government staffs and elected officials to ensure transparency and opportunities for public involvement.

How and When to Start

Start Now (Fall 2021)

Now is the time to begin engagement in local redistricting. Preparation for most local government staffs started in September 2021. This included training staff members, assembling census data, and reviewing past procedures and practices on how redistricting has been done in their county, city, or school district. In the next several months, those staffs will work with local elected officials to approve the process and any criteria to be used, and will prepare draft maps for county commissioner, city council or charter commission review, revision, and approval. 

Reasons why it is urgent to begin engaging on local redistricting:

• Many county commissions and city councils have little or no provision for public participation in the local redistricting process. If provisions for public participation do not already exist, residents will need to engage their elected officials as soon as possible to influence them to provide those opportunities. If people wait until 2022, it will be too late to make changes to provide transparency and to enable effective public participation in the local redistricting process.

• The census data required to do local redistricting has been available to cities and counties since early September. The Census Bureau, state of Minnesota, and major district mapping software vendors made the 2020 census data available on websites and in mapping software used by local governments.

How to approach local redistricting

• Focus on the process for local redistricting, with an emphasis on opportunities for public participation and transparency in the process. Without the opportunity for public participation and transparency, efforts at public education and engagement to support public participation will have limited benefit and may be counterproductive.

• Ask city/county staff how the process for redistricting has worked in the past and is expected to work in the current cycle. Use our Redistricting Questions for Local Government Staff checklist to develop your questions. 

• Bear in mind the following when talking to government staff:

  • Redistricting is a once every 10 years activity. Staff members either haven’t done this for 10 years or may never have gone through redistricting.

  • Redistricting is not the staff member’s primary job, so they may be getting up to speed on redistricting or may be balancing it with other job duties such as election administration or finance.

  • Government staff are going to start with what is legally required to complete redistricting and what has been done in the past. Staff are unlikely to create new opportunities for public participation without direction or agreement from elected officials.

  • Be polite and persistent. Staff members are working to do their job. They can help you and you can help them if the relationship is good. There is nothing to be gained by being confrontational or adversarial.

• Once you have spoken to local government staff members about how the redistricting process is expected to be conducted, you should contact your local elected officials to request any changes to enable greater public participation and transparency. Use the insights developed from discussion with local government staff, the sheet Redistricting Questions for Local Government Elected Officials and the County Commission Redistricting Principles Resolution template to prepare for these discussions.

Engage the Public

Take Action

Hold public programs to educate those in the community about local redistricting and to identify opportunities to engage local governments in the redistricting process.

• Option 1 – Send postcards or emails to local elected officials, including city council members and county commissioners. Look at local requirements for redistricting and send postcards or emails to other decision makers if applicable to your community such as charter commission or school board members.

• Option 2 – Attend hearings held by local governments on the redistricting process and principals, draft maps, and final maps. Advocate for public involvement and transparency in the redistricting process.

• Option 3 – Review current district lines and whether they are meeting the needs of your community. If they are, advocate for preserving those aspects of the existing maps. If not, provide specific comments and recommendations to the county commission, city council or other decision-making body regarding how lines could be better drawn to provide more effective representation for your community.

• Option 4 – Send a Letter to the Editor (LTE). Submit it to your local newspaper or local online community news blog to encourage greater community support and engagement in fair maps. You can use our tip sheet for LTEs to get started.

If you have additional questions or need help in how to develop your strategy or programs, contact Paul Huffman, LWVMN Redistricting Coordinator.