Transcript The 2010 census and your community

Impacts and Opportunities
Steve Kemp, City Attorney,
City of Peoria, Arizona
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
Impacts of the Census Results
Political Representation
Congress, State Legislature, County Supervisors and
Judges, City Councils
 Political Influence
 Legal Impacts
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Impact of population changes
% of Maricopa County Population by Municipality
70.00%
% of Maricopa County Population

60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
1970
1980
30.00%
1990
20.00%
2000
2009
10.00%
0.00%
Municipality
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Impact of population changes

Changing population centers
 Western Maricopa County
 South East Maricopa County
 Pinal County
 Pima County
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
Political Representation
1 New Congressional Seat. Where?
 State Legislative Districts increase in population
from approximately 170,000 a district to 220,000.
 Counties having more than 175,000 persons must
have a 5 member board.
 Cities electing council members by wards or districts
must redistrict.

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Political Influence
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Where will your jurisdiction end up in
congressional, legislative or supervisor districts?
Possibility of a mostly democratic or republican area
ending up in a district dominated by the opposing
party.
Communities ending up in districts dominated by
the major metropolitan areas.
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
Legal Requirements
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All election changes, Congressional Districts, State
Legislature, County and City are subject to Section 5
of the Voting Rights Act and require pre-approval by
the U.S. Department of Justice.
Election changes are also subject to federal court
decisions. Congressional and State Legislature
Changes are also subject to the Arizona Independent
Redistricting Commission.
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Major factors in Redistricting
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Equal population. Recent Court decisions suggest
no more than a 5% differential between districts
Contiguity v. Compactness. Redistricting plans will
be more scrutinized.
Communities of Interest and Physical Features
Voting Rights Issues
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Retrogression
Packing of Minority Voters
Participation
Approval by the US Dept. of Justice prior to election
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Local Government Involvement
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State and Congressional Level—Analyze concept
plans from the Redistricting Commission; participate
in the public comment process
County Level—participate in the process of
redrawing supervisorial districts
City Level—create and complete a redistricting
process if council members are elected by wards or
districts
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Questions?
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