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REDISTRICTING FILM SERIES WELL ATTENDED!
LWVIN sponsored a virtual documentary film series as part of our larger effort this legislative session to focus on Indiana's redistricting process--and to push for greater transparency. The series of documentaries was designed to engage participants in the issues impacted by redistricting—to educate and encourage advocacy for Fair Maps. Our panelists helped to highlight the broad impact of gerrymandering as the ultimate voter suppression tool. You may view the films and discussions here:LWVIN.orgRedistricting Resources
There were 493 individual registrants for the series on zoom; of those, 205 attended Suppressed, 252 attended UnCivil War, and 185 attended Line in the Street. The programs were also livestreamed on our Facebook event, reaching several hundred more each time. The first two films, Suppressed and UnCivil War, highlight voter suppression and efforts to use redistricting to gain and keep political power. The third, Line in the Street, looks to possibilities for fair maps and fair voter representation. We hope the film series will encourage participants to attend the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission ICRC public hearings, to spread the word to friends and neighbors, and become more involved in advocating for Fair Maps for Indiana.
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REDISTRICTING SPOTLIGHT:LWV Bloomington-Monroe County, LWV Brown County, and LWV South Central Indiana
Three Indiana leagues have teamed up to tackle the issue of redistricting in the 9th U.S. Congressional District. “This was a natural choice for us because we are all located in the same district; two of us share the same state senator and a representative.” Partnering has been very beneficial in the past because of opportunities to lobby together and attend legislative updates to hear from our shared legislators.
The LWV Bloomington-Monroe County, LWV Brown County, and LWV South Central Indiana hold weekly zoom meetings hosted by the Bloomington group. We are developing a PowerPoint presentation on redistricting that will be shared, along with presenters and technical support. Scheduling will be done using a folder located on the google drive. Teaming up has many advantages, because smaller leagues may lack some of the resources of larger leagues.
Communication with the media has also benefited. One media outlet interviewed members from two of the leagues for an article written about an upcoming event. “We can write one press release and submit it to media sources in all three areas.” Right now, we are adapting alert notices and action steps to fit our local groups. We are encouraging attendance at the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) hearing scheduled for March 10th in District 9, because we want as many people as possible to contribute to the conversation about redistricting criteria that should be used to draw fair maps in 2021.
According to a member of the LWV-Brown County, “We are all in the 9th district so it makes sense to work together by going outside of our usual group to learn and support one another in this work.” In addition to the partnership among the leagues,other partners include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Organization for Women (NOW). Working together we have more to share, can pitch in where needed and hopefully our accomplishments will be much greater than if we did this work alone.
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