A Special Joint Committee composed of 28 state legislators controls redistricting in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These committee members are all public officials with political interests, and if they aren’t held accountable they will draw the new districts to promote their own partisan interests over the interests of the voters. Common Cause Massachusetts believes that this is harmful to the voters and prevents fair elections.
To put the legislature in check, Common Cause Massachusetts is hosting a citizen redistricting Olympics and giving the people a chance to draw their own maps. The purpose of the redistricting Olympics is threefold: to educate the public about the steps in the redistricting process, to give the people a chance to draw their own maps, and to pressure the legislature to draw the districts fairly.
Although the state legislature will produce the final map to be signed by the governor, we believe that the best thing ordinary citizens can do is hold the legislature accountable before they even get to the ballot box.
Help show the legislature that redistricting is about our interests, not theirs. By participating in our Redistricting Olympics and learning how to draw your own fair districts, you can acquire the tools you need to expose attempts by public officials to politicize the state’s new legislative maps.
The state legislature is set to draw new legislative districts for the Commonwealth this fall. Now it’s your turn to get involved.
Help raise the standard of fair redistricting in Massachusetts by submitting your own map to Common Cause MA’s first Redistricting Olympics. You can make sure the peoples’ interests are truly represented. Winning maps will be submitted to the legislature for review and will also be awarded cash prizes ($750 State House Map; $500 Congressional Map; $500 State Senate). Your map(s) should also include a brief (no more than a page) explanation as to why you think the map(s) should be drawn as you propose.
Maps will be accepted until August 15th subject to extension. Please email all maps and questions to redistrictma@gmail.com.
For more information please feel free to email us at redistrictma@gmail.com or check out Redistricting Olympics