Ensuring Community Representation in Redistricting
In 2021, SCG sought to amplify equitable representation in the census and civic engagement by helping funders connect strategic funding to work happening on the ground floor. At the 2021 SCG Policy Conference, relevant experts in civic engagement and philanthropy like the Orange County Civic Engagement Table, Alliance of San Diego, and the Weingart Foundation were brought together to tie in how census and redistricting work exemplify democracy in action. It is imperative that funders draw the lines between census and redistricting work to systemic change while also providing a strategic vantage point for using funds most effectively. If representation is the core of a democratic process, acknowledging the systematic inequalities within systems that have not been inclusive can help communities feel in partnership with philanthropy.
Why It Matters
The census comes around every ten years, but ensuring that communities are represented equitably happens every day in between. Lifting the voices of underrepresented communities, bringing together diverse groups, building capacity, and amplifying coalitions through the work of nonprofit organizations are essential to the ongoing process of fair representation for all Californians. The 2020 census counted 331,449,281 Americans, a 7.4 percent increase from the 2010 census and led to a loss of a congressional seat in California and New York, despite the significant increase of 766,000 people in the Latino population since 2010. While California heavily invested in its outreach efforts, most of the labor fell onto community organizations facing long-standing problems.
Redistricting is the process by which legislative district boundaries are redrawn to reflect population changes. Occurring every ten years after the census, it presents an opportunity to increase community voice in government and participation in the electoral process. SCG believes that a healthy democracy is one where all people have the opportunity to actively participate in the decision-making process. This system must include, at a minimum, a fair and complete census, a redistricting process that reflects the communities represented, and robust voting rights protections, especially for those who have been historically excluded. Through non-partisan and cross-sector efforts, we can work to ensure all voices are heard and that barriers to participation are eliminated. This effort was even more urgent as California was slated to lose a congressional seat in the following year, realizing the impact that inaccurate representation results in.