Citizens Redistricting Commission
Issue: Expanding Democracy
Target Level of Office: State
Poilcy/Bill Number: California Proposition 11
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=254
Summary Narrative of the Policy: This measure amends the California Constitution to change the
redistricting process for the state Legislature, State Board of Equalization (BOE), and California
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, beginning with the 2010 census. The measure
shifts the responsibility for developing redistricting plans for legislative and BOE districts from
the Legislature to a 14 member Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• Proposition 11 of 2008, or the Voters FIRST Act, is a law enacted by California voters that
took the job of redistricting out of elected legislators’ hands because of their frustration
with a process which served to protect incumbents. The voters supported a new process
which would choose 14 citizens with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and from different
geographic locations to draw district boundaries based on criteria designed to preserve
communities of interest.
• It’s true that redistricting isn’t an issue that most voters are thinking about. Often, voters
fail to recognize the impact it has on other, more salient issu \ˈ