Several of the proposed redistricting maps of Orange County would reassign parts of district 3 and 4’s Hispanic communities to other districts.
Marcos Vilar of Alianza for Progress says he understands that there will be minor shifts in district lines due to population growth throughout the redistricting process.
But he says he’s concerned that redrawing these districts completely could water down Latino voters' power at the polls and their representation at all levels of government.
“And because the decision has not been made, we want to make sure that our voice together today is very firm and is very strong. That we like any other community has struggled and worked hard to gain representation and celebrates the diversity of this county that we live in that we do our best to maintain the lines as intact as possible.”
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Vilar says he would also like to see more Hispanics on the Orange County Redistricting Advisory Committee too in the future.
“Our community is watching, our leaders are watching and we’re not going to tolerate games with what we’ve already accomplished in this county in terms of gaining representation and having a fair representation in the democratic process as a community.”
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Drafts of the redistricting maps must be submitted to the Board of Directors by November 2, with a public comment period to follow.
The county will complete the redistricting process by December 15th to allow for new districts to be in use by the June 2022 primary election.
