Redistricting FAQ's
County of El Dorado Redistricting Process
Every ten years, local governments use new census data to redraw their district lines to reflect how local populations have changed. Assembly Bill 849 (2019) requires cities and counties to engage communities in the redistricting process by holding public hearings and/or workshops and doing public outreach, including to non-English-speaking communities.
What is redistricting?
Every ten years, districts must be redrawn so that each district is substantially equal in population. This process, called redistricting, is important in ensuring that each board member represents about the same number of constituents. In El Dorado County, the Board of Supervisors is responsible for drawing supervisorial districts. Redistricting is done using U.S. Census data, which is typically released around March 31, 2021. Due to COVID-19 the data release date was moved to September 20, 2021. For the County of El Dorado, the redistricting process must be completed by December 15, 2021.
Why does redistricting matter to me?
Redistricting determines which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a district for purposes of electing a board member.
The Board of Supervisors will seek input in selecting the next district map for our supervisorial districts. You have an opportunity to share with the Board of Supervisors how you think district boundaries should be drawn to best represent your community.
For more information you can email the County at redistricting@edcgov.us to find out more about how the process works.
What do the existing supervisorial districts look like?
For an interactive map of the County’s current supervisorial districts click here: https://see-eldorado.edcgov.us/SupervisorDistricts/
What criteria will our Board of Supervisors use when drawing district lines?
To the extent practicable, district lines will be adopted using the following criteria: (1) geographically contiguous districts (each supervisorial district should share a common border with the next), (2) the geographic integrity of local neighborhoods or communities shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division, (3) geographic integrity of a city shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division, (4) easily identifiable boundaries that follow natural or artificial barriers (rivers, streets, highways, rail lines, etc.), and (5) lines shall be drawn to encourage geographic compactness. In addition, boundaries shall not be drawn for purposes of favoring or discriminating against a political party.
How will our Board of Supervisors notify the public about redistricting?
The Board of Supervisors will reach out to local media to publicize the redistricting process. Also, we will make a good faith effort to notify community groups of various kinds about the redistricting process. Our public hearings and workshops will be provided in applicable languages if residents submit a request in advance. The Board of Supervisors will notify the public about redistricting hearings and workshops, post maps online before adoption, and create a dedicated web page for all relevant information about the redistricting process.
How can I get involved?
The Board of Supervisors will be holding hearings and workshops to receive public input on where district lines should be drawn. The schedule for those hearings and workshops are posted on our website here: Redistricting Public Meeting Schedule
You can also submit public comments, including suggested draft maps, by emailing: redistricting@edcgov.us
When are the lines drawn?
Redistricting must be complete by December 15th, 2021 and before the filing deadlines for candidates to run for office, so that candidates know where they're running.
The schedules for 2021 and 2022 have been more mobile than usual. The Census Bureau encountered serious problems in 2020, in part because of the pandemic's disruption (both to response rates and to non-response followup operations), in part because of operational instructions to cut corners, and in part because of the fight over producing citizenship counts. More recently, the Bureau announced that it would prioritize data quality — but to do so, it would delay its delivery of apportionment counts and redistricting data beyond statutory deadlines. Those decisions, in turn, have been subject to challenge in the courts.
At the moment, the Census Bureau will produce apportionment counts by April 30, 2021. A full user-friendly redistricting dataset will be available by Sept. 30, 2021, and a less user-friendly file in "legacy format" may be available in August. Public Meetings to discuss the Redistricting process and to gather input on Communities of Interest will be held this Summer, with meetings on draft maps to occur in October and November.
These are the deadlines in state law for the primary designated body to complete redistricting (at the moment), along with the filing deadlines for the following legislative primaries. As a result of the delayed Census data, several states are modifying these timelines, either through legislation or through the courts and California is considering moving the Gubernatorial Primary Election from June . Those states that have already modified their schedules in light of the Census delay are noted below.
Congressional Districts
Redistricting Deadline: 2/14/22
Filing Deadlines: 3/11/22
State Legislative Districts
Redistricting Deadline: 2/14/22
Filing Deadlines: 3/11/22
How can I get involved?
The County will be holding public meetings to explain more about this process and to receive public input on where district lines should be drawn. A schedule outlining these are posted on the Public Meetings page in the near future.
You can also get involved by completing a Community of Interest (COI) form. For more information about filling out Community of Interest (COI) forms, please visit our Get Involved webpage.
You can also submit public comments, including suggested draft maps, by emailing: redistricting@edcgov.us.
2010/11 Redistricting Information