Equipped now with the results of the 2020 U.S. Census—worries of a population undercount aside—the city of Dallas is kicking off its redistricting process.
This is important. The lines on the map that determine City Council districts play a significant role in shaping the balance of power in Dallas. The City Council member for your district, who very well might have been elected by only a few hundred votes, is your most direct line to city government. The fair and equal representation of Dallas residents depends, to an extent, on the lines on the map.
A redistricting commission chaired by former district judge and state legislator Jesse Oliver, which will be in charge of recommending a new map, has been convened. Public hearings have been scheduled. And a website with a cool little feature that lets you draw and submit your own maps has been launched.
Here’s an example of an extremely bad City Council district map that I drew on the website in about 45 seconds:
Again, awful map. My population numbers are all over the place. Not especially fair or representative. Some neighborhoods aren’t represented at all. You can do better.
Draw a map and submit it to the redistricting commission here.
