We Need YOU to Help Shape California's Political Future

We Need YOU to Help Shape California's Political Future

Join the Citizens Redistricting Commission and Ensure it Reflects the True Diversity of Our State

Over the next two weeks, you have an unprecedented opportunity to affect who represents you and what other neighbors you will vote with block by block in California for the next 10 years. But we need your voice!

February 12 is the last day for applications to California's new Citizens Redistricting Commission--a body that will have sweeping powers over the way state legislative and Board of Equalization district lines are drawn for the next 10 years. In other words, this commission of 14 ordinary Californians--5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 who are independents or from other parties--will shape California's political future.

And that's where you come in. Will you apply to join the citizens redistricting commission and make your voice heard?

Previously, these state legislative boundaries were drawn by lawmakers, but when voters passed Proposition 11 (the Voters FIRST Act) in the November 2008 general election, that responsibility transferred to the people. Redistricting matters and will make the difference of who represents you in political elections for the next 10 years.

So far applications coming in do not come close to representing the diverse voices of California's working families. TO DATE, more than 74 percent of the 7,681 registered voters who have applied are non-Hispanic whites. So, while most of California's working families are from communities of color and women, the commissions applicants to date are not reflective of the Golden State.

That's why we need your help! Apply to be a part of the citizens redistricting commission and be a part of California's political future. We need working families' voices!

Applications are only available on line at www.WeDrawtheLines.ca.gov. The deadline for applications is February 12, less than two weeks away.

Members of this new Commission will make important decisions that will affect the political representation of every community in California for the next decade. Step forward and help us ensure that working families, youth, Latinos, African Americans, women and other groups are not left out of this critical process.

For more information on eligibility requirements and the application process for the commission, please go to www.WeDrawtheLines.ca.gov.