Thousands Apply to Redraw California’s Political Boundaries

Fourteen Californians will be chosen to redraw district lines for Senate, Assembly, the tax board, and Congress, and already 3,100 people had applied by July 1. Of that number, 2,584 were tentatively eligible, have hurdled requirements such as having voted in two of the past three elections, and also avoided conflicts of interest over the past decade like political appointments, lobbying, donating more than $2,500 to a campaign, or family members with such conflicts.

The State Auditor’s office is tracking applicant data daily for ethnicity, gender, party, region and county. State Auditor Elaine M. Howle explained, “We want to make sure that all Californians are represented in the initial application pool.” The largest numbers of applicants so far are white, male, Democrat, and Southern Californian. Eight women, 13 men, and one binary individual have tentatively qualified from Santa Barbara County.

Applicants have until August 9 to apply. Those chosen by the Auditor’s Office will be redrawing district lines after the 2020 Census, as the commission is charged with doing every 10 years by the Voters FIRST Act of 2008. See shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov for more information.