Now I’ll tell you, all I know about electoral redistricting is on the state and Federal level. Like remember when Willie Brown cooked up a plan to have a Senate district go right down the middle of Castro Street back in the day as a kind of F to the U to any potential gay candidates (like Carole Migden) what might have opposed Willie Brown:
“At a fundamental level, it’s a symbolic issue, and using Castro Street as a dividing line is really a slap in the face of the community,” said Paul Hogan, chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club.”
Good times.
Or this purple thing Down South, crafted so that San Luis Obispo-type cowboys wouldn’t be in the same district as beach-side hippie types. It’s as narrow as 150 yards wide at high tide, our 23rd Congressional is:
Click to expand
Now don’t you want to get in on the fun? Well then answer the Call put out this AM by your City and County of San Francisco Elections Commission. Deets below.
Now I’ll tell you, I’d apply for this thing, you know, just to mess with peoples’ heads (by putting the houses of three sitting supes all in the same district, stuff like that) but it turns out that criterion #2 is “represent[ing] San Francisco’s diverse population.” And I’m the least diverse person you could possibly imagine so I’m DNQ’ed from the get-go.
But you, they’d love to have you.
THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION CALLS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE REDISTRICTING TASK FORCE
What is redistricting?
Every ten years, the Federal Government conducts a census to determine the number of individuals living in the United States. After the census is completed, the Charter requires the Director of Elections to determine whether the existing supervisorial districts meet the legal requirements established by federal, state and local law. If the existing supervisorial districts no longer comply with these legal requirements, the Charter requires the Board of Supervisors to convene an Elections Task Force to redraw the supervisorial district lines. The process of redrawing the supervisorial district lines is known as redistricting. The Director of Elections has not yet made this determination (as of March 28, 2011), but in the event that he finds that the districts must be redrawn and if the Board of Supervisors convenes a task force, the Elections Commission wants to find outstanding candidates as quickly as possible.
How Does Redistricting Work?
If convened, the Elections Task Force will consist of nine members. The Mayor, the Board of Supervisors and the Elections Commission each appoint three members. These nine individuals work with City staff and outside consultants to determine how the supervisorial district lines should be redrawn so that the districts comply with the legal requirements established in federal, state and local law. As part of this process, the Elections Task Force holds multiple community hearings to receive input from the people of San Francisco. Throughout this process and based on community input, the Elections Task Force will make several changes to the existing supervisorial district lines. The Elections Task Force must present a final plan outlining the new supervisorial district lines to the Board of Supervisors in April 2012.
What are the legal requirements for supervisorial districts?
The members of the Elections Task Force must consider federal, state and local legal requirements when redrawing supervisorial district lines. For more on these legal requirements, please see http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=270
What are the criteria for appointment to the task force?
Each of the three appointing authorities – the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, and the Elections Commission – probably have different criteria. By unanimous approval at the March 16, 2011, meeting of the Elections Commission, it has selected the following minimum criteria for its three appointments. Applicants must:
(1) Be registered to vote in San Francisco and have voted in San Francisco at least once since January 1, 2006;
(2) Represent San Francisco’s diverse population;
(3) Have not been paid by a political campaign since January 1, 2006;
(4) Not currently a direct-hire employee of an elected official of the City and County of San Francisco;
(5) Have general knowledge of San Francisco’s neighborhoods and geography;
(6) Have flexible schedule for attending meetings; and
(7) Not have a conflict of interest that is prohibited under conflict laws applicable to other City officers.
How can I apply to be appointed by the Elections Commission?
It goes on and on…
