What happens now that Fresno County leaders picked a districts map, despite opposition?
The super majority of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to support a new map that came from the latest redistricting process.
Every 10 years, following the latest U.S. Census, the redistricting process draws up maps for voting districts across the state. The new maps determine where an elected official’s boundaries land, who they represent and who votes for the seat in question.
The county’s process has been contentious with accusations of partisan map-makers and issues surrounding race on both sides of the aisle.
A couple of maps had risen to the top of the pile out of about two dozen, with those two getting almost all of the public comments for or against either map.
The supervisors voted Tuesday to pick a third map that had not been suggested by any member of the public during debates this month over maps. Opponents say their choice made only minor changes to the map adopted in 2001 and the two decades before that.
Supporters of the coalition say the county needs to overhaul its map to make the share of political power more fair, particularly for low-income rural voters of color. The map supported by the board is status quo with few changes, they argue.
Members of the board have defended the map as being legally vetted, keeping intact traditional communities and being free of partisan connections. The map was drawn by county staffers.
The map chosen by the supervisors will go before the board Dec. 14 for an official vote. The county’s deadline to pick its map is the following day.
The supervisors are required before finalizing their vote to give anyone who wants to speak during the public hearing an opportunity to do so. Each speaker is generally given two minutes, and longer if they require a translator.
