.png)
Nov 28, 2021
By: Andrew Taramykin and Elizabeth Rodriguez
College campuses and towns across America are frequent victims of unfair redistricting practices. When campuses and their surrounding communities are “cracked” into two or more legislative districts, student voting power is diluted and their concerns are at risk of being overshadowed.
Splitting our communities is problematic for many reasons. When a split community is represented by more than one elected official, it is more difficult to get our concerns addressed. Doing so also hinders our ability to foster a cohesive civic identity as a campus while making it inherently more difficult for students to elect officials who will prioritize and advocate for their needs.
As redistricting fellows with Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project, we are advocating for the interests of college students in Florida’s redistricting process. In addition to drawing and submitting maps of what our college communities look like to assist lawmakers, we have testified at state and county redistricting public hearings and meetings to share the concerns of students.
We have also advocated for our own college communities: the University of Florida, is split between State House districts, and Miami Dade College - North, is split from the Miami Gardens area where many students live.
Read the full article here.