Agenda - 09-02-2021; 12-8 - Information Item - Memorandum - Transmittal of the Final Report from the BOCC Elections Advisory Group (BEAG) on the Process for Electing County Commissioners in Orange County

Browse Search

85 r 11 I. a populations is difficult. To satisfy your Section 2 obligations, in drawing your a districts, you must take race into ac- count to determine whether the African- American population is found in areas z that can be incorporated into districts obeying normal district-drawing princi- by the term "P.L. 94-171 data," after ples:they are reasonably compact,they Public Law 94-171, which set out the incorporate natural dividing lines such information-reporting requirements.The as major roads,and they bring together bureau will produce paper maps show- people with common interests. If you ing the information. can do that,it is probably lawful to takeO satisfy your Section The data can be used in conjunction race into account. If you cannot, then 2 obligations, in with what are known as TIGER(Topo- you must not go further to try to draw logically Integrated Geographic Encod- majority-minority districts.Creating non- drawing your dis- ing and Referencing) files.41 The TIGER compact districts for the sake of achiev- tricts, you must take race files are not maps.They contain digital ing majority-minority districts is almost data describing geographic features such certainly, in the words of the Supreme into account to determine as railroads, rivers, lakes, political Court, allowing race to become the whether the African- boundaries,and census statistical bound- dominant and controlling factor. aries.A jurisdiction can purchase the rel- The task is especially great for cities, American population is evant TIGER files from the bureau for a counties,and school systems that are sub- found in areas that can be nominal price. ject to Section 5's preclearance require- incorporated into districts To use the TIGER files and the popu- ments under the retrogression standard. lation data,a jurisdiction will need map- If a jurisdiction has created majority- Obeying normal district- ping or Geographic Information System minority districts in the past, with less- drawing principles. If you software that can incorporate all the than-compact design,how can it in 2001 information. In larger jurisdictions, both (1) avoid a Shaw problem by not can do that, it is probably planning departments already may have drawing unusually shaped districts again lawful to take race into software capable of analyzing the infor- and (2) avoid retrogression? Unfortu- account. mation. Other jurisdictions may wish to nately,the answer is not clear. . purchase it from commercial vendors. The National Conference of State How do you use the Legislatures has identified seven vendors census numbers? and analyzing the data that it had accu- that have demonstrated their services for mulated. By April 2001 the Census Bu- drawing districting plans. They can be The U.S. Bureau of the Census counted reau expects to have available the data found at http://www.tic.state.tx.ushlc/ the nation's population in April 2000. that cities,counties,and school systems research/ncls/vendors.htm. It spent the following months sorting will need for redistricting.Those data go In small jurisdictions or in jurisdic- 14 POPULAR GOVERNMENT SPRING 200I