| Overview | Committee | How To Redistrict |
| Maps | BTVVotes | Comment |
The City Council will hold a Work Session on June 24 at 6 pm in Contois Auditorium, City Hall (149 Church Street). Process and redistricting plan maps will be discussed. The public is invited to attend.
| Redistricting Plan Maps Referred to the City Council |
At its June 4, 2013 meeting, the Redistricting Committee referred three (3) redistricting plans to the City Council for its consideration. The referred plans will be presented to the NPA's for their comments. The Committee now awaits Council action.
Overview
Redistricting is the process of adjusting electoral district boundaries to meet U.S. Constitutional requirements of equal representation. To ensure equal representation, the city has a responsibility to redraw ward boundaries and get voter and legislative approval for a charter change as soon as possible. The courts have determined that except in extraordinary circumstances, the difference between the highest and lowest number of people a city councilor represents should be less than 10%. The results of the 2010 US Census show that Ward 1 voters are under-represented, and Ward 4 and 7 voters are over-represented by the current system.
Currently, Burlington is divided into seven wards. The city’s new districting plan is not limited to the current configuration. The new plan can involve any number of wards and councilors, as long as it provides approximately equal representation to all Burlington residents.
State law provides some policies that can be used to guide the redistricting process. These include:
- Preserve existing political subdivision lines;
- Keep neighborhoods intact; and
- Use districts that are compact and contiguous.
Redistricting plans generally use the boundaries of "Census Blocks" - the groupings of houses and apartment buildings that are the smallest unit that the census uses. Plans can deviate from Census blocks if the City can show that the population count in split blocks is accurate. | Census Block Map |
Process for Developing and Approving a New Districting Plan
The City Council has appointed a Redistricting Committee that is composed of a representative from each of the seven Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPA's), four City Councilors and the mayor. The committee is charged with making a recommendation to the City Council in June. A City Council approved plan would then go to the voters.
If the voters of Burlington approve the Plan, it will be submitted to the State Legislature for formal adoption as a change to the City’s Charter.
Public Involvement
Members of the public are welcome at all Redistricting Committee meetings. | Committee Meeting Schedule |
Citizens can also offer questions and comments by e-mailing or calling the Committee's facilitator Cindy Cook, at redistricting@adamantaccord.com or 802-223-1330.
Table of Contents
- Overview - Introduction
- Committee - Redistricting Committee meeting schedule, agendas and minutes, and members
- How to Redistrict - Mechanics of Redistricting
- Maps - Maps of various Redistricting Plans
- BTVVotes - Web-based application where any person can develop his or her own Burlington Redistricting Plan, and submit it to the Committee for their review.