FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–October 10, 2019
Power Coalition for Equity and Justice & Partners Post Candidate Responses to Redistricting Pledge
Working with partner organizations Fair Districts Louisiana and Louisiana Progress, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice asked every legislative candidate in the state to sign onto our fair redistricting pledge. The responses to that pledge are now live on our website.
Contacts:
Raegan Carter, Statewide Campaign Director, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, (225) 408-9301, rcarter@powercoalition.org
Peter Robins-Brown, Communications Director, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, (504) 256-8196, prb@powercoalition.org
NEW ORLEANS, LA | October 10, 2019—Following up on our release of several voter education tools in the lead-up to Election Day tomorrow–including our Legislator Scorecard (http://powercoalition.org/legislator-scorecards-2019/) and our Candidate Survey (http://powercoalition.org/candidate-survey-2019/)–the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) has now gone live with candidate responses to our 2019 Redistricting Pledge (http://powercoalition.org/2019-redistricting-pledge/).
Working together with two of our partner organizations, Fair Districts Louisiana and Louisiana Progress, PCEJ sent the Redistricting Pledge to every legislative candidate in Louisiana. Approximately 90 candidates responded.
“We were very pleased with the enthusiasm about the pledge from both the public and candidates,” said Stephen Kearny, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Fair Districts Louisiana. “At the same time, we would have liked to have seen an even stronger level of commitment from this year’s pool of candidates. We need a clear majority of the incoming legislature to actively support the pledge’s tenets if we are to ensure that our electoral districts are fairly drawn after the 2020 U.S. Census.”
With the pledge, we asked legislators to commit to several principles that, if fulfilled, would help ensure the 2021 redistricting process will be fair and equitable. Those principles included drawing electoral districts without regard to incumbency, political affiliation, or race, and that promote a competitive electoral environment. Accomplishing those goals would mean working toward a transparent redistricting process by educating the public about redistricting and incorporating public feedback into the redistricting process.
Candidates also answered whether they were willing to end prison gerrymandering (the practice of counting incarcerated people where they are held in prison, not where they lived when arrested), institute a mandatory waiting/review period of at least three (3) days between when the new maps are finalized in the legislature’s conference committee and when they go up for a final vote, and support the establishment of a redistricting study and advisory commission.
The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice works to build voice and power in traditionally ignored communities. We are a coalition of groups from across Louisiana whose mission is to organize in impacted communities, educate and turn out voters, and fight for policies that create a more equitable and just system in Louisiana.
What: The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice adds Redistricting Pledge to our website.
When: October 11, 2019
Where: http://powercoalition.org/2019-redistricting-pledge/
Who: Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ), Fair Districts Louisiana, and Louisiana Progress.