Sacramento, Calif. (August 16, 2019) – Today the California State Auditor reminds Californians that there are only three days left to submit an initial application for the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission. To date 18,826 people have applied to serve on the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission, of which 15,982 are tentatively eligible. Applications from Asian Pacific Islanders take up 7% of the total submissions, compared to a 16% population in the state of California.
“Now is the time to apply,” said California State Auditor Elaine M. Howle. “The deadline for the initial application period is Monday, August 19, and we are asking eligible applicants not to delay any longer. I urge you to take up this once in a decade opportunity to be part of one of California’s most important processes – redrawing the lines of California’s congressional and state electoral districts.”
The initial application takes about ten minutes to complete. Applicants must submit an application online at shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov during the initial application period, which ends this Monday, August 19 at 5:00 p.m.
Information requested through the initial application is used to determine tentative eligibility and is a required first step in the application and selection process for becoming a member of the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission. A supplementary application will be made available at the end of the initial application period to the applicants who are tentatively eligible. The supplemental application period begins Wednesday, August 21, and runs through
September 20, 2019.
For information about eligibility requirements and to apply, please visit shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov or call (833) 421–7550. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @ShapeCAFuture.
About the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission
Every ten years, after the federal government publishes updated census information, California must redraw the boundaries of its Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts.
In 2008, California voters passed the Voters FIRST Act authorizing the creation of an independent Commission comprised of 14 members. The 2020 Commission will include five Democrats, five Republicans, and four who are either registered without, or “independent” of, any political party (decline-to-state or no party preference) or with another party. The Commission is responsible for drawing the lines of each district. The open application period for new Commission members began June 10, 2019, and will run through August 19, 2019.
The California State Auditor’s Office is a state entity that is independent of the executive branch and legislative control. The purpose of the California State Auditor’s Office is to improve California government by assuring the performance, accountability, and transparency that its citizens deserve. For more information on the State Auditor’s Office, please visit www.Auditor.ca.gov.
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The California State Auditor is tracking applicant demographic data on a daily basis and it is available to the public at https://applications.shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov/.
