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ZOOM FOR THOSE IN THE ROOM.AND I APOLOGIZE TO PUT TECHNOLOGY AHEAD OF YOU ALL, BUT IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, EVEN IF IT'S DURING MY PRESENTATION, I AM HAPPY TO TAKE IT FROM YOU AT THAT TIME.
IT'S JUST THAT, BECAUSE WE ARE PREPARING TRANSCRIPTS OF THE QUESTIONS.
MY REQUEST IS THAT YOU COME UP TO THIS MICROPHONE HERE TO MY LEFT AND ASK YOUR QUESTION SO IT CAN BE CAPTURED AND THEN WOULD GET MY ANSWER CAPTURED.
AND THOSE ARE TRYING TO GO TO BECOME, UM, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE SHARING ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
SO AGAIN, I DON'T MIND IF I'M STANDING UP HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SLIDE AND YOU'RE LIKE, YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE YOU ASK A QUESTIONS, JUST PLEASE COME UP TO THE MICROPHONE TO DO SO, SO THAT WE CAN CAPTURE IT.
THOSE TECHNICAL ISSUES ASIDE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT FOR ONE OF GULLETT COUNTIES, ELECTION DISTRICT, REDISTRICTING MEETINGS.
UM, I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL HERE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT HERE THOUGH ABOUT SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ZONES.
I KNOW THAT IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK OF FOR REDISTRICTING.
THIS IN FACT IS INSTEAD OF ELECTION DISTRICT FOR DISTRICT AND, AND IT'S ABOUT, UM, UH, VOTING RIGHTS AS OPPOSED TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
SO THAT, WASN'T WHAT I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE WHY.
THE QUESTION I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS IS WHAT IS REDISTRICTING REDISTRICTING IS THE PROCESS OF DRAWING NEW ELECTION DISTRICTS LINES AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AS YOU LIKELY KNOW, BY NOW DOES A CENSUS EVERY 10 AND THE U S POPULATION NATIONWIDE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE CENSUS REDISTRICT EDUCATED OCCURS ON THE FEDERAL STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL FOR ELECTION DISTRICTS.
AND WHY DO WE READ DISTRICT? WELL, BECAUSE POPULATION CHANGES UNEVENLY.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN MORE PEOPLE FOR INSTANCE, THAT HAVE BEEN LIVE, MOVED INTO DISTRICT FOUR IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, THEN MOVED IN OUT HERE NEAR BURNER ELEMENTARY AND OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO EQUAL VOTING POWER MEANS THAT EVERY 10 YEARS WE WANT TO EQUALIZE THE POPULATION IN ELECTION DISTRICTS.
AND WE DISTRICTING IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE TRY AND GAIN THAT EQUALIZATION OF DISTRICTS FOR VOTING RIGHTS.
THIS MAP SHOWS YOU THAT COUNTY'S CURRENT ELECTION DISTRICTS THAT WERE DRAWN AFTER THE 2010 CENSUS COUNTY BACK THEN HAD A POPULATION JUST UNDER 22,000 RESIDENTS.
AND AFTER THAT REDISTRICTING EACH DISTRICT'S POPULATION WAS ROUGHLY 4,300 RESIDENTS.
NOW YOU ALL ARE LIKELY AWARE THAT THERE ARE FIVE LOCAL ELECTION DISTRICTS IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY, AND THAT FROM EACH ONE RESIDENTS ELECT A BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBER AND A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, THEN TAKING THOSE SAME ELECTION DISTRICTS FROM 2010.
THIS MAP SHOWS YOU THOUGH, I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE THE DETAIL FROM HERE AND I'LL BE EXPLAINING IT BETTER, BUT WHAT IT SHOWS IS THE POPULATION FROM THE 2020 CENSUS GUCCI COUNTIES, TOTAL POPULATION FROM THE 2020 CENSUS IS 24,727 RESIDENTS.
THAT BEING SAID IN VIRGINIA AND BASED ONLY ON THE STATE LAW, THE TOTAL POPULATION IS NOT WHAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO USE FOR REDISTRICTING.
AND THE REASON IS VIRGINIA HAS CHOSEN TO CREATE AN ADJUSTED POPULATIONS UNDER WHICH THEY REALLOCATE PRISONERS FROM STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES BACK TO THEIR HOME DISTRICTS.
AND SO IT IS THAT ADJUSTED POPULATION THAT WE ARE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO USE AND BE DISTRICTING.
AND THAT IS THE NUMBERS THAT WE USE.
THE COUNTY'S ADJUSTED POPULATION IS 24,149.
AND IF YOU'RE SPLITTING THAT AMONGST FIVE RESIDENTS, EXCUSE ME, FIVE DISTRICTS, YOU END UP WANTING ABOUT FORTY EIGHT, A HUNDRED THIRTY RESIDENTS PER DISTRICT.
I WILL COME BACK TO THE MATH AND THE NUMBERS IN A FEW MINUTES, BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, LET ME GO THROUGH THE PLEASE THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.
AND THE OTHER CRITERIA THAT WE USED IS COMING UP WITH A PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP.
THE NUMBER ONE GOAL AND IMPORTANT FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT IS THAT WE CREATE ELECTION DISTRICTS THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN POPULATION UNDER THE WALL SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN POPULATION MEANS THAT EACH DISTRICT HAS PLUS OR MINUS 5% OF THAT TARGET GOAL POPULATION THAT I
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JUST MENTIONED.AND SO THAT IS THE PREDOMINANT GOAL.
EVERY DISTRICT, THE SECOND LEGAL REQUIREMENT ALSO FROM FEDERAL LAW IS THAT OUR DISTRICTS HAVE TO BE CONTIGUOUS AND COMPACT.
CONTIGUOUS JUST MEANS ADJACENT, BUT IT'S ONE OF BODY OF PROPERTY, AS OPPOSED TO, AS TWO THINGS SEPARATED AND COMPACT JUST MEANS PACKED TOGETHER.
THE THIRD FEDERAL REQUIREMENT, FEDERAL LAW REQUIREMENT FOR REDISTRICTING IS THAT RACE CANNOT BE A PREDOMINANT FACTOR IN A REDISTRICTING DECISION.
AND THAT MEANS BOTH THAT A DISTRICT CAN NOT BE DRAWN SPECIFICALLY TO DILUTE THE NUMBER OF MINORITY VOTERS THAT ARE IN IT.
AND IT CAN NOT BE DRAWN SPECIFICALLY TO CONCENTRATE MINORITY VOTERS INTO AN ELECTION DISTRICT.
THE FOURTH, UH, LEGAL REQUIREMENT ALSO FOR FEDERAL LAW IS THAT WE USE CLEARLY OBSERVABLE BOUNDARIES AND CREATING DISTRICTS.
DAILY OBSERVABLE BOUNDARIES ARE THINGS LIKE STREETS, ROADS, HIGHWAYS, AND IT INCLUDES SOME WATER FEATURES LIKE RIVERS, CREEKS, AND STREAMS AS WE CAN FROM THEM GET GONE THROUGH THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS THOUGH, WHAT WE LEARNED IS THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS FOLLOW THE CENSUS BLOCK BOUNDARIES.
AND LET ME EXPLAIN ABOUT CENSUS BLOCKS.
EVERYONE ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAS TO FOLLOW THE CENSUS BLOCK BOUNDARIES.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY IN FACT FOLLOW THOSE CLEARLY OBSERVABLE STREETS, HIGHWAYS, CREEKS, AND SO FORTH, BUT HERE'S, WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THEM.
THE US CENSUS BUREAU DECIDED ON THE CENSUS BLOCKS AND THERE IS NOT A RHYME OR REASON TO HOW LARGE A CENSUS BLOCK IS OR WHAT THE POPULATION IS.
SO ON THE SCREEN, THIS VERY LARGE CENSUS BLOCK RIGHT HERE WAS, IS ONE OF THE CENSUS BLOCKS OF GOSHEN COUNTY.
AND THERE ARE 780 OF THEM IN THE GOOGLE COUNTING FOR THE 2020 CENSUS.
BUT RIGHT NEXT TO US IS THIS RELATIVELY SMALL CENSUS BLOCK.
AND THROUGH THE MAPS, WHETHER THEY'RE ON THE SCREEN, ON THE WEBSITE OR HERE IN THE ROOM, IT IS THE BLACK LINES THEY'RE SHOWING YOU THE CENSUS BLACK LINES.
LET ME SHOW YOU THAT THIS SECTION OF THE MAP THAT WE'VE BLOWN UP, THE TAN SECTION IS THIS PROPOSED DISTRICT FOUR OVER HERE, THE BLUE SECTION IS PROPOSED DISTRICT THREE, AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE IN THE MACS AND STUFF THAT THOSE, THE COLORS AND DOWN HERE IS PROPOSED DISTRICT FIVE WITH THE ORANGE SECTION.
NOW, FOR EACH OF THE, UM, CENSUS BLONDES, YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE COLUMN OF THREE NUMBERS.
AND LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU WHAT THOSE ARE.
THE FIRST NUMBER FOUR DIGITS IS A SHORTENED IDENTIFIER FOR THE 15 DIGIT CENSUS BLOCK IDENTIFIER.
SO OUR CENSUS BLOCKS LITERALLY HAVE 15 DIGITS TO IDENTIFY THEM.
WE COULDN'T POSSIBLY PUT ALL 15 DIGITS ON FOR EACH BLOCK, SO WE'VE SHORTENED IT TO THE LAST FOUR DIGITS.
THE SECOND NUMBER IS THEN THE ADJUSTED POPULATION NUMBER AND THAT ADJUSTED POPULATIONS THAT'S EXPLAINED IS THE CENSUS BUREAU NUMBER THAT WE USE TO CREATE EQUAL POPULATION OR SUBSTANTIALLY.
THEN THE THIRD, LET NUMBER ON THERE IS NOT A NUMBER GENERATED BY THE CENSUS BUREAU.
THAT IS THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS IN THAT CENSUS BLOCK THAT THAT CAME FROM OUR GENERAL REGISTRAR AS OF NOVEMBER 10TH TO 2021, JUST RIGHT AS WE STARTED TO, TO CRAFT OUR REDISTRICTING MAP, STARTED TO WORK ON IT.
THAT IS NOT CENSUS DATA, BUT AS YOU WILL LEARN SHORTLY WHEN WE'RE CREATING PRECINCTS, WHAT MATTERS IS NOT WHAT THE POPULATION IS, BUT THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE ADDED THAT MATTER, EXCUSE ME, THAT DATA TO OUR MAP.
AND THAT'S WHAT APPEARS THE SPEECH CENSUS BLOCK.
THEN THE ONLY OTHER THING, JUST TO TRY AND EXPLAIN AGAIN, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING TONIGHT OR THE MAPS IN THE FUTURE, YOU'LL SEE WITHIN THE DISTRICTS HAVE SLIGHTLY SMALLER AREAS OF DIFFERENT SHADING LIKE HERE AND THERE.
THOSE ARE SUBDIVISIONS THAT WE'VE SHADED DIFFERENTLY.
BECAUSE AGAIN, AS YOU'LL HEAR FROM OUR CRITERIA, WE DID ATTEMPT TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THE SAME SUBDIVISION IN THE SAME VOTING DISTRICT.
SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAD TO SEE THE SUBDIVISIONS ON THE MAP AS WE WERE LOOKING AT.
AND THEN THE LAST THING WAS SHOWING THIS GREEN LINE, THE BOTTOM, YOU'LL HEAR A REAL TALK ABOUT THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES BOUNDARY BETWEEN DISTRICTS 56 AND 57.
UM, THAT'S THE ONLY STATE, UH, ELECTION DISTRICT THAT CROSSES THROUGH GOOCHLAND COUNTY.
AND WE DO HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT BOUNDARY.
I'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT SLIDE, BUT LET ME JUST LET YOU KNOW THAT WHEN WE WERE CREATING DISTRICTS, WHAT WE WERE DOING WAS BUNDLING TOGETHER THESE CENSUS BLOCKS AS THEY COME.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT MAKING A BOUNDARY, RIGHT,
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WHETHER OR NOT YOU ADD THESE, I DON'T KNOW, 20 OR 17 PEOPLE, YOU DON'T GET TO JUST TO DECIDE, BUT COME THROUGH HERE.YOU EITHER ADD THE BLOCK WHERE YOU DON'T ADD THE BLOCK, BUMBLE, THE BLACKS TOGETHER.
THAT'S HOW YOU CREATE YOUR DISTRICTS.
THE LAST THING THAT I JUST MENTIONED IS THAT IN VIRGINIA, YOU'RE REQUIRED TO CONSIDER THE STATE ELECTION DISTRICTS WHEN YOU'RE DRAWING YOUR ELECTION DISTRICTS.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS BETTER EXPLAINED ON THIS SLIDE THAT CONTAINS ALL THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CREATING PRECINCTS.
AND I KEEP MENTIONING SO FAR ELECTION DISTRICTS, THAT IS THE PRINCIPAL ROLE OF REDISTRICT.
AND, BUT WITHIN ELECTION DISTRICTS, THERE ARE SUBAREAS CALLED PRECINCTS AND INDIVIDUALLY COUNTY, AS YOU MAY KNOW, EACH OF OUR DISTRICTS HAVE TWO PRECINCTS IN THEM AND THEY ARE AWARE THEY CREATE WHERE PEOPLE GO TO VOTE AND THERE ARE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PRECINCTS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO IDENTIFY, PULL IN PLACES.
THE PRECINCT REQUIREMENTS, AS I JUST MENTIONED, ARE BASED ON REGISTERED VOTERS.
SO AT THE TIME THAT YOU CREATE A PRECINCT, YOU'RE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO HAVE AT LEAST A HUNDRED REGISTERED VOTERS AND NO MORE THAN 5,000 REGISTERED VOTERS.
SO THAT'S WHY WE PUT THE REGISTERED VOTING DATA ON, ON THAT.
AND THEN THE NUMBER EIGHT HERE GO SPLIT PRECINCTS.
EVERY PRECINCT THAT WE CREATED HAS TO BE WHOLLY CONTAINED WITHIN ONE FEDERAL ELECTION DISTRICT AND ONE STATE ELECTION DISTRICT.
WE COULD NOT HAVE THE PRE-STAGE ACROSS OVER A STATE ELECTION BOUNDARY AND OUR MAP.
THANK GOODNESS IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE VIRGINIA STATE ELECTION DISTRICT MAP THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT.
LAST MONTH, WE DO NOT CONTAIN ANY SPLIT PRECINCTS.
THE LAST SLIDE TO SHOW YOU ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE ALL LEGALLY AVAILABLE, BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVED AND DIRECTED STAFF TO USE.
NUMBER 10 TALKS ABOUT MOVING THE FEWEST NUMBER OF VOTERS, WELL AWARE THAT PEOPLE CONSIDER THEMSELVES.
THEY MIGHT'VE VOTED IN THEIR DISTRICT FOR YEARS REPRESENTED BY A PARTICULAR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBER OF SCHOOL BOARD.
WE DIDN'T WANT TO DISRUPT THAT UNLESS WE NEEDED TO FOR PURPOSES OF EQUALIZING THE DISTRICTS.
SO WE ALSO LOOKED AT RETAINING THE SAME BASIC SHAPE OF THE DISTRICTS THAT WOULD ALSO CAUSE VOTERS TO TYPICALLY REMAIN WITHIN DISTRICTS.
THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE NEXT ONE.
NUMBER 12, I'VE ALREADY ALLUDED TO THAT IS THE IDEA IS LET'S KEEP RESIDENTS IN THE SAME SUBDIVISION VOTING IN THE SAME ELECTION DISTRICT, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE, THEIR NEIGHBORS ARE GOING TO BE VOTING FOR THE SAME PEOPLE.
AND THAT MINUTE FLAG MINIMIZES AS A CONFUSION TO VOTERS.
THE LAST THING ON MY SLIDE IS STRUCK THROUGH, AND THAT IS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT IT IS LEGALLY PERMISSIBLE FOR REDISTRICT DATE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALLOWING INCUMBENTS TO REMAIN IN THEIR DISTRICTS.
PEOPLE WERE ALREADY REPRESENTING THAT DISTRICT TO REMAIN THAT'S LEGALLY ALLOWABLE, BUT OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHOSE TO, TO DIRECT STAFF, NOT TO CONSIDER THAT TO NOT LOOK AT INCUMBENCY AND REJECT THIS AS A CRITERIA.
AND SO IT WAS NOT REVIEWED BY STAFF AND IT WAS NOT TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION AS WE TRANSCEND THEM DISTRICT.
THOSE ARE ALL OF THE LEGAL CRITERIA THAT WE USED AS WE DID THE REDISTRICT DATE, THEM PROCESS.
NO, LET ME STEP THROUGH LIKE SOUTHERN.
WHAT DID YOU DO? OUR PRIMARY GOALS FOR ALL OF THE PROCESS WAS COMMUNITY INPUT AND TRANSPARENCY.
I'M STANDING BEFORE YOU, AS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY TELLING YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE DISTRICT.
AND, BUT I'M NOT STANDING BEFORE YOU BECAUSE I DID ALL OF THIS WORK.
THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE REDISTRICTING TEAM, AND THAT INCLUDES OUR INTERNAL, THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, MANWELL GOLFER, OUR DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, JEFF HUNTER, GENERAL REGISTRAR, BRIAN MULLIGAN, GIS GIS STAFF, JONATHAN MORLEY, AND DIDN'T GEORGE WE'RE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY WHO HAD ANY INPUT INTO DRAWING THE NEW DISTRICT MAP, NO MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, SCHOOL OR ELECTRIC BOARD PARTICIPATED IN PROVIDED ANY INPUT, OR FRANKLY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING APP UNTIL WE REVEALED IT TO THE PUBLIC IN DECEMBER.
SO LET ME TELL YOU HOW THIS PROCESS STARTED.
I SHOW YOU AGAIN, THE MAP OF OUR CURRENT 2010 DISTRICTS.
UM, WE HAVE THE 2020 POPULATION, BUT I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE THE POPULATION NUMBERS FROM THERE.
SO THIS CHART HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAD BEFORE WE STARTED.
WE DISTRICT, THIS IS THE ADJUSTED POPULATION BROKEN DOWN INTO EACH OF OUR FIVE CURRENT DISTRICTS.
THEN SEE THE TARGET OR THE GOAL FOR EQUALIZING WITH DISTRICTS OF 48, 38 PER.
AND THE LAST COLUMN TELLS YOU HOW FAR OFF IS THE CURRENT DISTRICT
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FROM WHAT WE NEED TO HAVE IN ORDER TO HAVE EQUAL DISTRICTS.AND WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS THERE WAS RELATIVELY LITTLE CHANGE NEEDED, UM, OUT HERE IN DISTRICTS ONE AND TWO AND SUBSTANTIALLY MORE CHANGE NEEDED IN CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY AND THEN THE EASTERN DISTRICTS.
SO THIS IS WHAT WE STARTED WITH.
WHAT DID WE DO NEXT? WELL, WE ASKED RB DISTRICTING SOFTWARE TO PROVIDE US A MAP BASED ON THOSE FIRST FIVE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS, AND THE ONE ABOUT THE STATE ELECTION DISTRICTS.
AND THEN WE LOOKED AT THAT MAP AND REVIEWED IT TO DETERMINE IF WE NEEDED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS DUE TO THE APPROVED CRITERIA FROM BOARD, ANYTHING FROM RETAINING THE BASIC SHAPE OF THE DISTRICTS TO TRYING TO KEEP SUBDIVISIONS TOGETHER.
THEN WE REVIEWED THE PRECINCT LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, WHICH WERE PRECINCT LEARNS AND IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL POLLING PLACES.
AND I IDENTIFY THEM THROUGHOUT AS POTENTIAL BOARD PLACES BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENTS WITH ANY PRIVATELY OPERATED FACILITY TO ASK THAT THEY BECOME A FULL IN PLACE FOR US IN THAT PROCESS IS NOT YET COMPLETE.
SO THEY'RE IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL POLLING PLACES.
SO THE RESULT OF ALL THAT WE WENT THROUGH IS THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP.
WE POSTED IT TO THE COUNTY'S WEBSITE ON DECEMBER 17TH, AND IT'S BEEN AVAILABLE TO REVIEW THERE FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS NOW.
BUT AGAIN, YOU CAN'T SEE THE DATA FROM THAT POSITION.
HERE IS THE CHART OF INFORMATION.
WE NOW ARE SHOWING YOU THE ADJUSTED POPULATION OF EACH DISTRICT UNDER THE PROPOSED TO BE DISTRICT IN THAT WE'D HAVE THAT SAME NUMBER DOWN AS THE GOAL.
AND THEN WE SHOW YOU WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN THOSE TWO NUMBERS ENDING WITH A DEVIATION PLUS OR MINUS PERCENTAGE, BECAUSE AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, YOU HAVE TO BE WITHIN PLUS OR MINUS 5% TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN POPULATION UNDER THE REDISTRICTING WALL.
THAT IS OVERALL WHAT WE DID, BUT NOW I WANT TO BREAK IT DOWN BY DISTRICT WHERE YOU CAN GET SOME MORE INFORMATION BECAUSE MOST OF THE CHANGE WAS GOING TO OCCUR IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
AND ACTUALLY START AS THE TEAM DID WITH THE FAR EASTERN DISTRICTS IN PROPOSED DISTRICT FIVE.
AND THEN AT SOME OF, YOU KNOW, THESE MAPS ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
THE ROOM, THE PRECINCTS HERE ARE SHOWING THAT THE SHADING, SO THE DARKER LEFT-HAND SIDE IS PRECINCT VIBER ONE AND THE LIGHTER SIDE ON THE RIGHT IS PRECINCT FIRE.
DISTRICT FIVE AT THE STAR NEEDED TO DECREASE ITS POPULATION BY 768 RESIDENTS, THE DISTRICT FUND TO THE SOUTH AND TO THE EAST ABUTS, THE COUNTY'S BORDERS.
SO NO CHANGES COULD BE MADE TO THOSE TWO SIDES.
WE NEEDED TO THEN RETAIN THE WESTERN BORDER OVER HERE.
YOU CAN SEE A BIT OF A GREEN LINE THAT IS THE STATE, UM, THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES AT BORDER BETWEEN DISTRICTS 56 AND 57.
AND SO WE NEEDED TO RETAIN THAT LINE BETWEEN DISTRICT THREE AND DISTRICT FIVE.
SO AS NOT TO CREATE WHAT I WOULD CALL A SPLIT PRECINCT.
SO DISTRICT FIVE HAD TO DECREASE BY 768 RESIDENTS.
AND THE ONLY PLACE AVAILABLE TO DO THAT WAS ITS BORDER WITH DISTRICT FOUR.
THERE WERE ESSENTIALLY THREE CHANGES THAT WE MADE ALONG THE BOUNDARY WITH DISTRICT FORWARD.
ONE IS THAT WE MOVED SOME CENSUS BLOCKS INTO DISTRICT FOUR BECAUSE THE KINLOCK SUBDIVISION WAS BEING SPLIT BETWEEN DISTRICT FOUR AND DISTRICT FIVE.
WE ALSO MOVED SUBSETS AS BLOCKS FROM DISTRICT FOUR DOWN TO DISTRICT FIVE, TO KEEP ALL OF THE MOSAIC SUBDIVISION TOGETHER.
SO IT WASN'T TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION PRIOR DISTRICT LINES WHEN WE'RE DONE.
AND THEN THERE IS ONE CENSUS BLOCK ON THE FAR EASTERN BORDER OF THE COUNTY THAT WE MOVED FROM FIVE UP TO FOUR.
AND THAT WAS FRANKLY, JUST TO OBTAIN THE POPULATION GOAL THAT WE NEEDED.
SO ONCE WE FINISHED DOING THAT TO THE BORDERS, WHAT'S THE DATA WE ENDED UP WITH FOR PROPOSED DISTRICT FIVE, HERE'S THE ADJUSTED POPULATION.
AND YOU COULD SEE THAT IT'S, UM, VERY CLOSE TO THE TARGET.
AND THEN THE INFORMATION IS HERE ABOUT THE PRECINCTS, BOTH THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS AND THE PROPOSED POLLING PLACES.
AND I TOLD YOU, THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PRECINCTS WAS WHEN THEY'RE CREATED BETWEEN 105,000 REGISTERED VOTERS, BUT OUR GENERAL REGISTER AND FRANKLY, FOR A BETTER, UM, POOLING EXPERIENCE, WE ACTUALLY TRIED TO EQUALIZE THE POPULATION BETWEEN THE REGISTERED VOTERS, EXCUSE ME, BETWEEN PRECINCTS, BECAUSE THAT LEADS TO A BETTER ELECTION PROCESS.
UM, AND SO EVEN THOUGH SOMETHING OTHER THAN RELATIVELY EQUAL WOULD BE LEGAL, OUR GOAL WAS TO TRY AND MAKE
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THE PRECINCTS CLOSER TO EQUAL WITH RESPECT TO NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS AND THE POLLING PLACES UP THERE AS PROPOSED ARE ONES THAT HAD BEEN USED IN THAT DISTRICT FOR THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS.SO THEN POST DISTRICT FOUR, AGAIN, YOU SEE THE TWO PRECINCTS AND WITH THE SHADING OR ONE FOR TWO, PLEASE NOTE, AS YOU LOOK UP HERE, HOW THE GREEN LINE GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CENTER OF A DISTRICT FOR DISTRICT FOUR NEEDED TO DECREASE BY 1,009 RESIDENTS IT'S NORTHERN AND EASTERN BOUNDARIES ARE ON THE COUNTY BORDERS, SO THEY COULDN'T CHANGE.
SO WE ENDED UP MOVING DISTRICT FOURS, WESTERN BOUNDARY, EAST SUBSTANTIALLY.
IT USED TO BE WEST OF OILVILLE AND NOW IT GOES DOWN SHALLOW.
WELL, THAT WAS BECAUSE DISTRICT THREE, BUT TO JONES, IT NEEDED TO GAIN A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF RESIDENTS.
NOW I'VE JUST DESCRIBED TO YOU THE CHANGES WE MADE BETWEEN THE DISTRICT FOUR DISTRICT FIVE BOUNDARY THAT MOSAIC AND KIP BLOCK AND SO FORTH.
SO I WON'T GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN.
BUT THE PRECINCT BOUNDARY IN FOUR MENTIONED THE GREEN LINE.
THE, THE DIVISION BETWEEN THE TWO PRECINCTS IS NOW FOLLOWING THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES DISTRICT BOUNDARY BETWEEN 56 AND 57.
AND THAT IS SO WE DON'T CREATE ANY SPLIT PRECINCTS.
SO WHAT DATA THEN DO WE HAVE ABOUT DISTRICT FOUR? THIS IS THE SPECIFIC NUMBERS OF ADJUSTED POPULATION.
THE DIFFERENCE THAT IT COMES FROM THE TARGET, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S WITHIN THAT PLUS OR MINUS 5%.
THE PRECINCTS IN DISTRICT FOUR DO NOT HAVE THE ROUGHLY EQUAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE INSTEAD OF TRYING TO OBTAIN THAT EQUAL NUMBER, WE HAD A STATE ELECTION BOUNDARY.
AND SO WHILE THOSE ARE LEGALLY PERMISSIVE OR NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS, THEY'RE NOT QUITE EQUAL.
AND THAT'S WHY MOVING ON TO DISTRICT THREE PROPOSED DISTRICT THREE WITH THE DARKER BLUE 3 0 1, RIGHT THROUGH TO DISTRICT THREE, ACTUALLY NEEDED TO GAIN THE MOST NUMBER OF RESIDENTS.
IT NEEDED 1,231 RESIDENTS ADDED TO IT.
PLUS DISTRICTS TO THE WEST OF IT NEEDED UP TO 500 MORE RESIDENTS IN THEM.
SO I DESCRIBED TO YOU ALREADY HOW THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF DISTRICT THREE WENT WAY FURTHER EAST ALL THE WAY TO SHALLOW LONG ROAD, TAKING UP A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO USED TO BE IN DISTRICT FOUR.
NOW DISTRICT THREE IS BOUNDARY WITH DISTRICT FIVE.
I ALREADY DESCRIBED, STAYED THE SAME.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE STATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES BORDER SO THAT WE DID CREATE SPLIT PRECINCTS.
DISTRICT THREE IS WESTERN BOUNDARY, WHICH ALSO CHANGED, WHEW.
IT NOW FOLLOWS COURTHOUSE CREEK CAUSING THE CORE OF COURTHOUSE VILLAGE TO BE IN DISTRICT TWO AND OTHER SECTIONS OF WHAT I'D SAY THE COURTHOUSE AREA TO BE IN DISTRICT THREE.
LET ME TELL YOU THE COURTHOUSE CREEK WAS USED BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT ALL THE CENSUS BLOCKS IN THAT AREA USED AS THEIR BOUNDARY.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE ENDED UP USING IT.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE SOMEBODY DECIDED THE CREEK CAUSE SOMETHING, EVERYBODY WOULD KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT'S BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE CENSUS BLOCKS USED AND THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE PREVIOUS OR CURRENT DISTRICT THREE UP HERE THAT USED TO BE IN DISTRICT TWO.
AND THE REASON IT WAS IN DISTRICT TWO IS BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE THE STATE ELECTION BOUNDARY USED TO GO.
SO AGAIN, WE HAD ADOPTED THAT AS A PORTION OF OUR BOUNDARY.
IT'S NO LONGER A STATE ELECTION BOUNDARY.
AND SO WE MOVED THOSE CENSUS BLOCKS INTO DISTRICT THREE TO CREATE, TO GET THE RIGHT POPULATION AND CREATE A MORE CONTIGUOUS AND COMPACT DISTRICT.
SO THOSE ARE ALL THE CHANGES THAT OCCURRED FOR THE DISTRICT THREE POST.
AND THIS IS THE DATA YOU END UP WITH IN DISTRICT THREE, THE ADJUSTED POPULATION WITHIN THE 5% TARGET AND THE PRECINCTS ARE CLOSER TO EQUAL.
THEY'RE NOT AS CLOSE TO EQUAL HERE AS SOME OF THE OTHERS, BUT CERTAINLY ROUGHLY EQUAL DISTRICT THREE OFFERS TWO NEWTON PROPOSED POLLING PLACES.
THEY'RE BOTH COUNTY OWNED FACILITIES, WHICH IS PREFERRED FOR PRECINCTS UNDER STATE LAW.
ONE IS THE GOSHEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER.
AND THE OTHER IS RANDOLPH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
WE HAD TALKED TO THE SCHOOLS BEFORE THE PROCESS STARTED AND THEY WERE WILLING TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS DID NOT HAVING SCHOOL DAY ON ELECTION DAY SO THAT SCHOOLS COULD BE POLLING PLACES AS THEY ARE IN MANY OTHER LOCALITIES.
NOW WE MOVE INTO DISTRICT TWO, AGAIN, WITH THE SHADED AREAS, SHOWING YOU THE TWO DIFFERENT PRECINCTS DISTRICT TWO NEEDED TO GAIN ABOUT 450 15, EXCUSE ME, RESIDENTS.
AND ALSO TO HAVE 132 RESIDENTS THAT COULD GO INTO DISTRICT ONE, THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN BOUNDARIES AROUND
[00:25:01]
THE COUNTY BORDERS.SO WE KNEW WE COULDN'T CHANGE THOSE.
AND I JUST TOLD YOU HOW MUCH DISTRICT TWO'S EASTERN BOUNDARY, THE ONE THAT BUTTS DISTRICT THREE NOW HOW IT FOLLOWS COURTHOUSE CREEK.
SO THAT'S PORTIONS OF THE CENTER OF THE CANDIDATE USED TO BE A DISTRICT THREE NOW IN DISTRICT TWO ON THE WESTERN BOUNDARY BETWEEN D TWO.
AND ONE PARTICULARLY IN THIS AREA, WHICH IS NEAR CEDAR PLAINS ROAD.
THE REDISTRICTING TEAM CHANGED SOME, UM, CENSUS BLOCKS BETWEEN DISTRICTS ONE AND DISTRICTS TWO.
AND THE REASONS WERE MEREDITH FARMS AND SUBDIVISION WAS SPLIT AMONGST SEVERAL CENSUS BLOCKS.
AND SO WE PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER INTO DIVISION ONE.
SO THE SUBDIVISION, EXCUSE ME INTO DISTRICT ONE.
SO THE SUBDIVISION COULD STAY TOGETHER.
SIMILARLY, THE SUBDIVISIONS RED BLUFF AND BOWLING LANE PLACE WERE SPLIT.
AND SO HE MOVES SOME CENSUS BLOCKS TO TRY AND PUT ALL OF THOSE SUB DEFICIENTS IN DISTRICT TWO, THOUGH, I THINK WE MAY STILL HAVE TWO ADDRESSES THAT ARE IN DISTRICT ONE AND ONE OF THOSE SUBDIVISIONS, BECAUSE WE SIMPLY COULDN'T GET THEM ALL TOGETHER.
BUT TO TEAM ULTIMATELY THE RIGHT POCKET LOCATION, WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, THERE IS ONE CENSUS BLOCK YOU SEE DOWN HERE, WHY THAT MOVED FROM DISTRICT TWO OVER TO DISTRICT ONE.
SO HERE'S WHERE YOU END UP ONCE THE INFORMATION ABOUT DISTRICT TWO, THERE'S THE ADJUSTED POPULATION.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S DIFFERENT FROM OUR GOAL AS WELL WITHIN THE LESSER MINUS 5%.
AND THEN THE PRECINCTS PRE DISTRICT TWO USED TO HAVE VERY UNEQUAL PRECINCTS, WHETHER IT WAS TURNED TO NUMBERS OF REGISTERED VOTERS, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO ALMOST EQUALIZE THOSE BY DRAWING OR PRECINCT LINES WHEN WE DID, WHERE WERE PROPOSED TO, AND THEN THERE'S A NEW BULLET PLACE SUGGESTED FOR PRECINCT TWO, A ONE, UM, WE'VE ASKED TO CORNERSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH, WHETHER OR NOT WE COULD USE THAT FACILITY AS A POLE IN PLACE.
AND THEN THE POLLING PLACE FOR TWO AND TWO WOULD BE A COUNTY OWNED FACILITY, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL CENTER.
AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST WE HAVE PROPOSED DISTRICT ONE DISTRICT ONE NEEDED THE, THE FEWEST, UM, UH, CHANGE IN POPULATION.
IT ONLY NEEDED TO GAIN 132 RESIDENTS, WHICH IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE THE MORE THAN SOUTHERN AND WESTERN BOUNDARIES ARE ON THE COUNTY MORTARS AND CAN'T BE CHANGED.
BUT I DID JUST EXPLAIN TO YOU THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE BETWEEN THE BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN D TWO AND D ONE ABOUT MEREDITH FARMS, SUBDIVISION, THE OTHER TWO SEVEN DIVISIONS, AND THE ONE BLOCK THAT WE NEEDED TO CHANGE.
AND THOSE CHANGES GAVE IT TO THIS DATA ABOUT DISTRICT ONE THAT IS THAT WE'RE WITHIN THE ADJUSTED POPULATION OR PLUS 3%.
SO WITHIN THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, THE REGISTERED VOTERS ARE RELATIVELY EQUAL.
UH, WE PROPOSE TO USE THE FACILITY WE'RE IN NOW BURT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS A POLLING PLACE, BUT TO CONTINUE TO USE THE GOOCHLAND FIRE STATION, UH, SIX AS A FULL IN PLACE FOR PRECINCT 1 0 2.
NOW WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE WHOLE COUNTY IN EACH DISTRICT, BUT I WANT TO ALSO GO THROUGH THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA THAT'S PROVIDED BY THE CENSUS IN ORDER TO DISCUSS BOTH COUNTY-WIDE AND WITHIN EACH DISTRICT HAD TO TELL YOU THAT STAFF DID NOT REVIEW THE DEMOGRAPHIC DEBT UNTIL AFTER THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP WAS CREATED.
AND ALL OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA IS PROVIDED BASED ON TOTAL POPULATION.
AND YOU'RE SHAKING YOUR HEAD BECAUSE I STARTED OFF TELLING YOU WE COULDN'T USE TOTAL POPULATION TO REDISTRICT AND WE DIDN'T FOR REDISTRICTING, BUT IN CREATING THE ADJUSTED POPULATION AND REALLOCATING THE PRISONERS, THE DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES, DIDN'T PROVIDE THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ABOUT RACE AND ETHNICITY.
SO WE'RE, WE CAN'T USE THE ADJUSTED POPULATION DATA ON DEMOGRAPHICS, AND WE REFERRED IT TO THE TOTAL POPULATION DATA IN 2010 AFTER REDISTRICTING, THIS IS THE TOTAL POPULATION AND THE DEMOGRAPHER, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE POPULATION, OF COURSE, IN 2010 CENSUS BUREAU ONLY REPORTED WITH RACE AS BLACK, WHITE, OR OTHER.
AT THAT TIME, YOU CAN SEE THAT 77.5% OF THE COUNTY IDENTIFIED AS WHITE, 19.2, IDENTIFYING AS BLACK AND THE OTHER WAS JUST OVER A CERTAIN PERCENT.
THEN I WILL TELL YOU THAT ONE WAY IT'S EASIER TO MAKE A COMPARITOR IS WHAT I'VE DONE HERE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE.
AND THAT IS TO GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOTAL POPULATION IDENTIFIED AS NONWHITE.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT ON THIS SLIDE AT 2010 AFTER WE DISTRICTING, THAT WAS AT 22.5%.
AND THE REASON THAT THAT IS EASIER TO KNOW IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE 20, 20 WIDE DATA CENSUS BUREAU IN 2020
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ALLOWED DEMOGRAPHIC ASKED FOLKS TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES, NOT ONLY IN THE RACIAL CATEGORIES OF WHITE, BLACK, ASIAN, AMERICAN, INDIAN, AND HAWAIIAN, THEY THEN IDENTIFIED 50 ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES THAT WERE, MULTI-RACIAL JUST DIFFERENT IN TWO RACES, THREE RACES OR RACIST EACH ONES OF THE CATEGORIES.SO PEOPLE COULD TRULY IDENTIFY WHAT THEIR BACKGROUND WAS.
IN ADDITION THERE, IN TERMS OF ETHNICITY, THERE THEN WAS A CATEGORY TO REPORT AS A HISPANIC ETHNICITY.
AND THEN ALSO TO REPORT THAT FOR ANY ONE OF THE 50 CATEGORIES FOR RACIAL DATA, FOR WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING TO YOU, TO GOOCHLAND RESIDENTS, WE CHOSE TO DECIDE TO REPORT ANY CATEGORY, WHICH HAD AT LEAST 2% OF GOOCHLAND COUNTY RESIDENTS IN IT.
AND SO THAT MEANS WE'RE USING THE CATEGORIES OF WHITE, BLACK, HISPANIC, AND ASIAN, AND ALL THE OTHER CATEGORIES ARE REPORTED AS OTHER.
SO IN 2020, WHAT YOU COULD SEE IS THAT THE COUNTY'S WHITE OPERATION GREW IN NUMBER, BUT IT'S OVERALL PERCENTAGE IS FAIRLY STEADY TODAY.
IT'S AT 78.1 ONLINE TO THAT IN 2010, WE JUST LOOKED AT, IT WAS 77.5.
THEN OVERALL, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COUNTIES, POPULATIONS OF RESIDENTS, WHO'VE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS BLACK.
THAT NUMBER DECREASED BY JUST OVER 900, BUT IT REMAINS IT'S REPORTED AT ABOUT 13% OF THE POPULATION.
ONE THING THAT WE DID LOOK AT AND CONSIDER IS THAT THERE ARE ANOTHER 312 RESIDENTS WHO REPORTED THEMSELVES IN A MULTI-RACIAL CATEGORY THAT INCLUDED BLACK, LIKE BLACK, ASIAN, OR BLACK HAWAIIAN.
AND SO IF WE INCLUDED THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN A SUBCATEGORY, YOU AND RAISE THE BLACK POPULATION BY ABOUT ANOTHER 1% OF TWO, JUST OVER 14, OR JUST UNDER 14 AND A HALF PERCENT, BUT GIVEN THE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE DEMOGRAPHIC CATEGORIES, I DO THINK THAT ONE HELPFUL WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS ON THE RIGHT, THE TOTAL POPULATION THAT REPORTS AS NONWHITE.
AND WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THAT THAT IS REMAINING FAIRLY STEADY BECAUSE IT'S AT ABOUT 22%, BOTH IN 2010 AND IN THE 2020 CENSUS, THEN IT WAS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE SINGLE LARGEST MINORITY CATEGORY IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY RESIDENTS IDENTIFY AS BLACK.
AND AS WE THEREFORE GO LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, HIGHLIGHT WITH HER CHANGES IN THAT CATEGORY, BECAUSE THIS IS NOW DISTRICT-WIDE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA.
THIS IS THE DATA FROM THE 2010 DISTRICTS WITH THE 2020 POPULATION BEFORE WHO MAY BE DISAPPOINTED.
AND I WILL POINT OUT TO YOU THAT THE DISTRICT WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION OF RESIDENTS REPORTED AND SPEND BEFORE THE DISTRICT DATES IS DISTRICT TWO, WHICH HAS ALMOST A, JUST OVER 23% OF ITS POPULATION.
BEFORE WE REDISTRICTED THE DISTRICT WITH THE LOWEST REPORT OF BACK BLACK RESIDENTS WAS DISTRICT FIVE, WHICH HAD JUST 6.6% OF ITS POPULATION.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN A DISTRICT IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY ELECTION DISTRICT IN WHICH A MINORITY POPULATION HAS BEEN THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION SINCE 1991.
AND THAT'S SIMPLY A FUNCTION OF THE OVERALL PERCENTAGE OF MINORITIES THAT LIVE IN THE COUNTY ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO BE ABLE TO CREATE A DISTRICT IN WHICH THE MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS ARE IN THE IDENTIFIED BY MORNING WITH RESPECT TO NOW THE PROPOSED ELECTION DISTRICTS.
THIS IS THAT SAME CHART DISTRICT TWO REMAINS THE DISTRICT, WHICH HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF BLACK RESIDENTS AT 20, JUST OVER 20%.
DISTRICT FIVE STILL HAS THE LOWEST NUMBER OF BLACK RESIDENTS.
AND THAT DROPS TO JUST OVER 5% OF ITS POPULATION.
I KNOW THE ISSUE GENERALLY LOOK AT THE OTHER DISTRICTS DISTRICTS WANTING TO GET THREE, BOTH INCREASED IN TERMS OF NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF BLACK RESIDENTS.
WHILE THE OTHER DISTRICTS DECREASED IN RESIDENTS WHO WERE REPORTED AS BLACK, BOTH IN TERMS OF THEIR NUMBER AND THE PERCENTAGES WE HAVE JUST CREATED, POSTED THAT PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP, BUT THAT'S JUST THE FIRST PART OF THE PROCESS.
COMMUNITY INPUT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF GUCCI COUNTY'S REDISTRICTING PROCESS HEARING FROM OUR RESIDENTS.
AND SO WE ARE MAKING NUMEROUS WAYS TO REACH OUT TO US TO ASK QUESTIONS OR TO PROPOSE DIFFERENT INFORMATION.
THE FIRST IS IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT OUR REDISTRICTING WEBSITE AT ALL, THERE IS LITERALLY A TABLE IN THERE IN WHICH YOU COULD POST
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A QUESTION AND WE WILL POST AN ANSWER TO IT SO THAT IT CAN BE PROVIDED TO YOU JUST THAT EASILY.YOU ALSO CAN EMAIL US AT A VERY SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED ADDRESS SO THAT WE CAN RECEIVE IT BY THE REDISTRICTING TEAM AND RESPOND TO IT.
WE ARE TAKING PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP THROUGH FEBRUARY 1ST.
SO THE REST OF THIS MONTH ON THE FIRST DAY OF FEBRUARY, UNDER THE VIRGINIA VOTING RIGHTS ACT, WE WERE REQUIRED TO POST IT FOR 30 DAYS AND TAKE COMMENTS, BUT WE'RE DOING LONGER THAN THAT BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT WE DIDN'T POST SHORTLY BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.
AND THAT, THAT WOULD BE DISTRACTING FOR SOME PEOPLE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE HOLIDAYS MAY BE A MORE IMPORTANT THAN COUNTING BE DISTRICTING.
SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS HAD ENOUGH TIME TO STILL PUT THEIR ATTENTION TO THE DISTRICT.
IN THAT YOU ALSO KNOW YOU'RE HERE TONIGHT, THAT WE'RE HAVING COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
NOW, THIS IS THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE.
WE ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO HAVE FIVE MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT WE HELD THE FIRST TWO MEETINGS LAST WEEK ON WEDNESDAY.
AND YOU KNOW, WHAT MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS WERE WITHOUT POWER.
THEY HAD LINES DOWN SNOW TO DEAL WITH.
AND SO THOUGH WE HELD THOSE MEETINGS AND WE HAD ATTENDANCE THAT MR. OSU WAS PRESENT THAT LAST WEEK.
WE ALSO DECIDED TO ADD ADDITIONAL MEETINGS, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE DIDN'T WANT LAST WEEK'S LETTER EVENT TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM PARTICIPATING.
SO BEING HERE TONIGHT, THIS MEETING WAS ONE OF THE ONES ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED EARLIER TODAY.
WE HAD ANOTHER AFTERNOON MEETING THAT WE ADDED TO IN ADDITION TO LAST WEEK'S AFTERNOON, AND WE HAVE ANOTHER MEETING ON THE 19TH AND ADDITIONAL EVENING, WE ADDED AGAIN, JUST TO MAKE SURE RESIDENTS GET THE CHANCE TO COME.
RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ANY MEETING.
THEY'RE NOT DISTRICT OR AREA SPECIFIC.
AND EVERYONE, I GO THROUGH EACH DISTRICT AS I HAVE TONIGHT, AND EACH DISTRICT COVERS THE SAME INFORMATION.
EACH MEETING, YOU CAN ASK MR. LYON, CAUSE HE'S BEEN AT MOST OF THEM AND IT JUST DOESN'T CHANGE MUCH EVERY TIME I SAY IT, AS YOU KNOW, FROM MY DISCUSSION AT THE START OF THE MEETING, PEOPLE ARE PARTICIPATING BY A ZOO AND EVERY COMMUNITY MEETING HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE BY ZOOM FOR FOLKS WHO ARE UNABLE OR CONCERNED ABOUT COMING OUT TO A PUBLIC MEETING, THAT YOU CAN JOIN THAT BY COMPUTER OR BY PHONE.
AND WE'RE HAVING TRANSCRIPTS MADE AT EACH COMMUNITY MEETING OF THE PORTION OF COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AT THE END.
SO WHEN I STOPPED TALKING, WHICH WILL HAPPEN, I PROMISE WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US IS NOT ONLY THAT WE'VE PROVIDED OUR RESIDENTS EVERY WAY POSSIBLE TO REACH OUT TO US WITH COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION THAT WE'RE PROVIDING TO THEM, BUT ALSO THAT IT BE TRANSPARENT.
AND SO PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE WEBSITE ARE AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE EMAILS THAT YOU SEND US WILL BE POSTED TO THE WEBSITE THAT WE PROMISE TO REDACT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE THAT OUT IN THE WORLD.
THE TRANSCRIPTS THAT WE'RE PREPARING, THE PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE BEING POSTED TO THE WEBSITE.
AND THAT'S JUST BECAUSE WE WANT ALL THE RESIDENTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT QUESTIONS ARE BEING ASKED, WHAT INFORMATION IS BEING SHARED, WHAT PROPOSALS ARE OUT THERE.
WE ARE CREATING A FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS DOCUMENT.
THAT'LL BE POSTED IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND UPDATED AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE MEETINGS.
AND AGAIN, ALL HAS PUBLIC COMMENTS AVAILABLE THROUGH FEBRUARY 1ST.
SO THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WELL, THEN WE'RE GOING TO PREPARE THE SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED PUBLIC COMMENTS AND PROVIDE IT TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AT A PUBLIC MEETING FEBRUARY 22ND.
THAT'S A SPECIAL MEETING, NOT ONE OF THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS, BUT AT SIX O'CLOCK ON THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 22ND, STAFF WILL ALSO BE SUGGESTING IF WE'VE LOOKED AT THE COMMENTS OF SIDED THERE, REVISIONS THAT SHOULD BE MADE, WE'LL BE PROPOSING THOSE TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AS WELL.
BECAUSE IF THE BOARD WERE TO CHOOSE TO MAKE REVISIONS TO THE MAP, WE WOULD THEN MAKE THOSE REVISIONS AND POST A REVISED AND ALLOW THEM COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC FOR 15 DAYS ON REVISIONS TO THAT MAP AS IS OUTLINED IN THE VIRGINIA VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
FINALLY, THOUGH, OUR PLAN IS TO GET THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO ADOPT A PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP IN ORDINANCE.
AND THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THAT IS, AGAIN, A SPECIAL MEETING ON MARCH 15TH AT SIX O'CLOCK, THE MATH AND THE ORDINANCE BECOME EFFECTIVE 30 DAYS AFTER ADOPTION.
SO IF WE ARE ABLE TO DO THIS BY MARCH 15TH, THEN BY APRIL 15TH OR TAX DATE, MANY OF US THE MAP AND THE ORDINANCE WOULD BECOME EFFECTIVE.
AND THAT MAY SOUND TO ALL OF US, LIKE PLENTY OF TIME BEFORE WE HAVE TO BE DEALING WITH ELECTIONS, EXCEPT THAT RIGHT NOW, PRIMARY START JUNE 21ST AND ABSENTEE VOTING FOR THE PRIMARY SUMMIT STARTS MAY 6TH, ONLY THREE WEEKS AFTER OUR MAP WOULD BECOME EFFECTIVE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET THIS DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER, HAVING
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LOUD ENOUGH COMMUNITY INPUT AND BEING VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THAT COMMUNITY INPUT.UM, MR. SPOON HOWARD DISTRICT TWO REPRESENTATIVE FOR INSTANCE, IS HERE TONIGHT.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT THE MAP UNTIL IT WAS POSTED, AND WHILE HE HAS ATTENDED ANOTHER ONE OF THESE MEETINGS, UH, PRIOR TO DOING THAT, HIS INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASS BEING PROVIDED IN PUBLIC, JUST AS IT IS TO TV, WE HAVE REACHED THE POINT OF THE PROGRAM.
I WILL BE QUIET THAT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO ASK QUESTIONS, PROVIDE COMMENTS.
UM, I ONLY HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS REQUESTS.
IF YOU'RE IN THE ROOM, AS I SAID, PLEASE COME UP TO THE MICROPHONE.
WE JUST WANT THIS TRANSCRIPT TO INCLUDE THE PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.
AND WE CAN ONLY DO THAT IF YOU USE THE MICROPHONE.
IF WE HAVE RESIDENTS ON ZOOM WHO WISH TO ASK A QUESTION, THE WAY TO DO SO IS ON THE SCREEN, THE POOR, IF YOU'RE ON A PHONE AND YOU START NOW, AND IF YOU ARE ON THE COMPUTER, YOU SHOULD RAISE HAND.
BUT I WOULD JUST REQUEST THAT YOU TURN DOWN OFF YOUR SPEAKERS, SO YOU DON'T HAVE FEEDBACK.
AND AS WE OFTEN DO, WHEN OUR RESIDENTS ARE SPEAKING TO US, WHEN YOU COMMENT OVER ASKING A QUESTION, COULD YOU PLEASE START WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS THAT BEING SAID, PLEASE COME ON UP AND GIVE US ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
MY QUESTION IS HOW'S THE COUNTING ONE TIME ON THE PEOPLE THAT IT'S CHANGED THAT OPENING ORDERS.
UM, RJ REGISTRAR ANSWERED THIS QUESTION EARLIER THIS WEEK.
SO I MADE THEM TO TELL YOU THAT EVERY RESIDENT IN GOOGLE ACCOUNTING WILL BE SENT A VOTER INFORMATION.
NOTICE THAT CONTAINS THE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR ANNEX, THEIR LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL, UH, VOTING DISTRICTS AND IN POLLING PLACES IN PRECINCTS.
SO THAT WILL BE PROVIDED TO EVERY RESIDENT, EVEN IF YOU'RE IN DISTRICT ONE AND THEIR LOCAL DISTRICT THAT INSTEAD CHANGE YOUR STATE AND FEDERAL LIKE IN DID.
AND SO YOU CAN PROVIDE, IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS IN THE ROOM? I MAY ALSO ASK AT THIS TIME, IF THERE'S ANYONE ON ZOO OREN WHO IS RAISING THEIR HAND OR INTERESTED IN NICK AND A QUESTION OR COMMENT I'M GETTING SHAKEN OFF WELL FOR THE FOLKS THAT, UH, BOTH IN, ON ZOOM AND IN THE ROOM, WE CERTAINLY THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT FOR LEARNING ABOUT THIS PROCESS, WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO THE COUNTY.
THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR RESIDENTS.
AND, UH, WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL ENGAGE WITH US WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS YOU HAVE.
STAFF WILL CERTAINLY BE HERE FOR A FEW MINUTES.
IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THE MAPS OR HAVE ANYTHING ELSE.
AND BEFORE I FINISH UP, HANG ON, WE DO HAVE ONE OTHER FEATURE ON THE WEBSITE.
WE WANTED TO SHOW YOU, UM, OUR IT DIRECTOR, RANDY BUZZARD IS HERE.
WE DO KNOW WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT IN PERSON OR ON THE MAP, AND IT'S HARD TO FIND YOUR EXACT ADDRESS.
IN FACT, I THINK SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE BEEN TRYING TO LOOK ON YOUR MAP.
AFTER WE CREATED THE MAP, WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE IT.
DEPARTMENT IS ABLE TO CREATE A WEBSITE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO SEARCH.
AND RANDY, I'M GONNA TURN THIS OFF IN CASE THAT'S A PROBLEM.
CAN YOU SHOW THAT TO THE FOLKS HERE? WE, OKAY.
SO THIS IS AN AD THAT WAS CREATED BY RGS.
APARTMENT D HAS WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS PROCESS.
SO THIS MAP IS ON OUR WEBSITE ON THIS PAGE, OUR REDISTRICTING PAGE, WE HAVE AN EMBEDDED SMALLER VERSION OF THE SAME MAP, BUT THERE'S A LINK HERE THAT OPENS A BIGGER VERSION, WHICH I HAVE OPEN HERE.
SO WHEN IT COMES UP, COMES UP AND THERE'S A TERMS OF SERVICE.
IT COMES UP TO THIS PAGE WITH A FLATTER IN THE MIDDLE.
AND WHAT THE SLATTER DOES IS IT SHOWS YOU THE LAYERS AND LAYERS ARE OVER HERE.
SHOW IT'LL SHOW THE PROPOSED POLLING PLACES, PROPOSED STATE LINE, EXISTING STATE OUTLINES, EXISTING DISTRICTS, EXISTING POLLING PLACES, AND THE PROPOSED DISTRICTS.
AND THEY'RE COLOR CODED HERE IS YOU CAN SAY, IF YOU GO BACK TO THE SLIDER ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT, THIS, THESE ARE THE, THE NEW
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PROPOSED DISTRICTS.AND AS YOU CLICK ON IT AND SLIDE IT TO THE RIGHT, IT BASICALLY SHOWS YOU THOSE LAYERS AND THE BLACK LINES ARE YOUR EXISTING DISTRICTS.
UM, THE OTHER MAJOR FEATURE IS A SEARCH BUTTON UP HERE IN THE TOP, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN FIND YOUR ADDRESS AND IT'LL TELL YOU INFORMATION.
SO IF YOU PULL UP THE SEARCH FEATURE AND JUST START TYPING AND SAY YOUR ROAD NAME, I'M GOING TO USE SANDY HOOK AS AN EXAMPLE, AND IT'LL START POPULATING IT.
UM, SO YOU CAN JUST SHOOT, YOU FIND YOUR ADDRESS AND YOU CLICK ON IT.
IT WILL ASSUME INTO YOUR PARTICULAR ADDRESS.
IF THIS WAS YOUR ADDRESS AND IT'LL SHOW YOU INFORMATION LIKE THIS IS YOUR NEW PROPOSED DISTRICT.
UM, THIS IS YOUR PROPOSED PRECINCT.
IT'S 202, AND THIS WILL SEE EXISTING DISTRICTS.
SO IN THIS CASE, THIS PARTICULAR ADDRESS IS MOVING DISTRICTS FROM WHAT USED TO BE OUR DISTRICT THREE TO PROPOSE DISTRICT TWO.
SO BACK THAT WE HOPE WILL BE HELPFUL TO CITIZENS.
AND, UH, LIKE I SAID, THE LINKS ON OUR WEBSITE.
SO IF YOU GO TO THE REDISTRICTING WEBSITE AND THE REDISTRICTING, THAT TAB, THAT ACTUALLY IS THE FIRST MAP THAT YOU CAN ACCESS.
AND SO AGAIN, I KNOW THAT THE BIGGER MAP IS HARD TO FIND MORE ADDRESS, BUT THAT APPLICATION WILL ALLOW YOU TO SEARCH ANY ADDRESS THAT YOU CAN PUT IN AND FIND OUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE IF WHAT IT IS.
SO I CERTAINLY THINK OUR IT DEPARTMENT FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER, JUST MAKING IT THAT MUCH MORE EASY FOR RESIDENTS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CHANGES ARE.
THAT BEING SAID, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE UP TONIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING AND FOR BEING HERE FOR TAKING THE INTEREST IN REDISTRICTING.