Step Up for Democracy!
You might be the Independent Redistricting Commission member the City of Berkeley is anxiously looking for! Applications to be on the Berkeley Independent Redistricting Commission are now being eagerly accepted by the Berkeley City Clerk, Mark Numainville, until the Oct. 9 deadline. Application forms and other pertinent information can be downloaded HERE. To be chosen for this rare chance to serve your city for two years, your main qualifications will require a history of independence from the power structure of Berkeley, in addition to the usual requirement of having been a law abiding adult. Your chances of selection to this important, deliberative body may be considerably enhanced by belonging to a a culturally or racially unusual group.
It was only recently in 2011 that California embarked on the bold, highly principled and rare step of taking drawing of electoral district boundaries out of the hands of those strongly tethered to political parties and put the mapping pen into the hands of truly independent but well-qualified citizens. California still has irregularly shaped electoral districts but not because they were drawn with political favoritism in mind. If this intrigues you and you — like the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville — are enthusiastic about “Making Democracy Work!”, please download, complete and submit your application to join the Berkeley Independent Redistricting Commission. Good luck with your application!
–Ruby MacDonald, President LWVBAE
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