Hays County League of Women Voters to host redistricting webinars

The Hays County League of Women Voters will hold two webinars this week, highlighting the redistricting process in Hays County and San Marcos. 

The LWV’s “Redistricting 101 and Hays County: Mapping San Marcos” webinars are set for Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8 p.m. The webinars will begin with an overview of redistricting and presentation of the current precinct map of Hays County.

Additionally, the webinars will include interviews with community leaders while their Communities of Interest (COIs) are being mapped. COIs are communities with concerns and bonds that distinguish them from surrounding areas. COIs form the basic building blocks for redistricting.

Driven by the census redistricting is done every 10 years. New boundaries are drawn for county precincts, and state and federal districts. The precincts and districts drawn now will be used for governance and elections until 2030. 

LWV said redistricting is quite vulnerable to manipulation, highlighting examples such as the advent of sophisticated computer programs, which makes gerrymandering possible with precision. Voters can easily be divided up into amazingly precise voting blocs to accomplish whatever the line drawers dream of — often rendering citizens’ voices ineffective with respect to development, water needs, transportation, and other issues, simply because their communities are fractured by how the lines are drawn.

Hays County is the fastest growing county in the nation, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The webinar presentation on redistricting will visually highlight the growth in the county as well as the demographics of that growth.  Precincts will have to be redrawn, but how?  

The Hays County Commissioners Court has sole authority to do the precinct drawing. The court has appointed a Redistricting Advisory Commission (RAC) to advise the court. Along with that they have promised at least four public hearings. Due to the short timeline the county has because of the delay of the census, the Hays League is continuing to conduct their own mapping work as a service to the county

In Hays County, the LWV works to educate our citizens, advocating for transparency, for public input and for fairness in how precinct lines are drawn so that all voices are heard.

To learn more or get the link to attend either webinar, visit lwvhaysco.com, look for the webinar title below the headline Priority: Redistricting, and click on Read More. The public is invited.

Information provided by Hays County League of Women Voters