We provide trainings on how to get involved in using the data that the Redistricting Data Hub hosts, how to participate and access resources, and we provide demonstrations on mapping tools that use our data to draw Community of Interest and District maps.
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Request a TrainingLearn how to use these free redistricting mapping tools to draw or analyze community of interest or district maps using our data.
Use the Choose Your Own Mapping Tool to find software and applications to use our data to draw community of interest and district maps for this redistricting cycle
Dave’s Redistricting aims to empower civic organizations and citizen activists to advocate for fair congressional and legislative districts, while also advocating for increased transparency in the redistricting process.
This training, held 4/13/21, covers how to use Dave’s Redistricting App to draw District and Community of Interest maps.
Learn how to analyze proposed or final redistricting maps with DRA and understand their analytical tools. We discuss how to use DRA to measure competitiveness, compactness, proportionality, minority representation, and splitting. Training held 12/2/21.
In this training, held 10/5/23, learn how to draw maps for your city, county, school board, or other local jurisdiction. See how to access all the same great features and tools available for analyzing statewide plans. We close with some cautions around local redistricting data and criteria, and highlight the local data coming to the RDH website.
View Slides ►Learn how race and ethnicity are defined for the purposes of redistricting, and what data on race and ethnicity is available DRA. See how to check the demographics of districts while you are drawing or as part of a final map analysis. We’ll also discuss ways to visualize race or ethnicity in DRA, and considerations to keep in mind while using the tool. Training held 11/21/23.
View Slides ►In this training held on 3/28/24, we take a look at partisan fairness: what it is, a few of the more common measurements, and how to access the metrics available in DRA. We’ll also discuss how to look up the requirements in your state, and highlight important considerations for and limitations to analyzing the partisan fairness of a map.
View Slides ►DistrictBuilder is a free, open-source mapping tool. It puts the power of drawing electoral maps in the hands of the people. Redistricting can be a transparent process that represents communities fairly and prevents gerrymandering.
This training, held 3/30/21, covers how to use DistrictBuilder to draw Community of Interest and District maps.
Learn how to analyze proposed or final redistricting maps with DistictBuilder and understand their analytical tools. These tools include measuring population deviation, contiguity, competitiveness, compactness, county splits, and Voting Rights districts. Training held 11/18/21.
This training, held 6/22/21, covers the basics of using the plugin for drawing districts or district plans for the Redistricting cycle.
The QGIS Redistricting Plugin is a free and open source desktop redistricting software developed by John Holden for drawing single districts or statewide district plans through QGIS software. It is available for download through the QGIS plugins app or this this website.
This training, held 5/3/21, covers how to use Representable to draw a community of interest map.
Representable is a free, open-source mapping tool for creating Communities of Interests (COI). This tool is built in partnership with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP) and supported by Schmidt Futures.
Most mapping tools are designed for drawing or analyzing a single map, but often people want to know how a map compares to another map. This training, held 9/14/23, will show you how to easily compare maps in two free mapping tools: Redistricting & You and Dave’s Redistricting.
View Slides ►This first training (held 11/16/21) in the series is great for folks who may not know much about the Voting Rights Act or racially polarized voting. It’s also an opportunity to learn directly from an expert active in the field.
We are partnering with Fred McBride of the Southern Poverty Law Center to offer three trainings with background information about Racially Polarized Voting and legally significant cases.
Fred McBride is Senior Advisor-Voting Rights for the Southern Poverty Law Center, and has been active in voting rights for nearly 25 years. He is an expert in drawing and evaluating redistricting plans and performing racially polarized voting analysis.
This training (held 11/30/21) covered the data sets and election results required to conduct RPV analysis, where to find these data and election results, and how RPV analysis varies in certain Circuit Court jurisdictions.
Dr. Lisa Handley has over twenty-five years of experience in the areas of redistricting and voting rights, both as a practitioner and an academician, and is recognized nationally (as well as internationally) as an expert on these subjects. She has advised numerous jurisdictions and other clients on redistricting and has served as an expert in dozens of redistricting and voting rights court cases.
This training (held 12/7/21) covers the common statistical methods used to perform RPV analysis, the difficulties that arise when interpreting RPV analysis results, and what to look for in an RPV analysis practitioner.
In this one hour deep dive into data for prison gerrymandering reform, you’ll learn about the practice of prison gerrymandering and why it matters for representation, whether your state has implemented any reforms, and what data is available to understand the impact in your state. We’ll also highlight some of the analysis and support we’ve provided to groups working on the issue. Training held 6/22/23.
View Slides ►The first of this two-part training (held 3/9/22) was hosted by Brianna Remster of Villanova University. This training covered the basics of prison gerrymandering: what it is, what the impacts are for representation and political power, and the possible policy remedies, including reallocation of incarcerated populations. This training is well suited for individuals who want to learn more about the practice and implications of prison gerrymandering.
View Slides ►The second of this two-part training (held 3/15/22) was hosted by Rory Kramer of Villanova University. This training dives into the nuts and bolts of prison gerrymandering, and how the reallocation of incarcerated populations to their last known address works in theory and in practice. This training is well suited for individuals and groups interested in the technical details and data issues of remedying prison gerrymandering.
View Slides ►This playlist includes an introduction to Communities of Interest (COIs) as well as a three-part series that prepares users to analyze whether a proposed or enacted plan considers COIs, importing a district plan and Community of Interest map into DistrictBuilder and DRA 2020 and the process of importing a district plan and one or more community of interest maps into QGIS and Python.
Learn about the kind of data that are used and how you can find insights about your communities of interest using them. This training includes a demonstration on how to use the data that is available for download for free with the Redistricting Data Hub. Training held 7/1/21.
The first training of this three-part series prepares users to analyze whether a proposed or enacted plan considers Communities of Interest (COIs). We show you where to find and download COIs and enacted plans and explain the geographies and file types encountered when working with these maps. Training held 12/14/21.
The training walks you through the process of importing a district plan and Community of Interest map into DistrictBuilder and DRA 2020. We provide guidance to prevent common issues or mistakes and review the metrics and analysis capabilities unique to each tool. Training held 12/16/21.
The training walks you through the process of importing a district plan and one or more community of interest maps into QGIS and Python. We are pleased to have John Holden, creator of the QGIS Redistricting Plugin, present the QGIS demonstration and answer your questions. In the remainder of the training, we will introduce our publicly available script file that makes it easy to analyze multiple COIs and generate heat maps and metrics of interest. Training held 12/20/21.
This training (held 6/8/23) introduces you to precinct boundaries: what they are, how they help fight gerrymandering, and why they are so difficult to collect. We also introduce you to our volunteer-driven effort to collect these data in key states, and how you can volunteer to collect precinct boundaries.
View Slides ►
This data introduction session is for folks who are interested in learning more about data and how it can be accessed on the Redistricting Data Hub website. This training, held 5/10/21, covers the basics of data file types, as well as the different types of data we offer and how they might be used. View Slides ►
How can you prepare for redistricting? At the Redistricting Data Hub, we recognize that a challenge in participating is having access to the necessary knowledge. This session, held 5/21/21, highlights some resources we have that can assist with finding the right mapping tool for you and ways you can access the resources you need. View Slides ►
This training, held 4/2/21, covers the mission and goals of the RDH, as well as how our resources can be used at different points within the redistricting process. View Slides ►
In this training held on 3/28/24, we take a look at partisan fairness: what it is, a few of the more common measurements, and how to access the metrics available in DRA. We’ll also discuss how to look up the requirements in your state, and highlight important considerations for and limitations to analyzing the partisan fairness of a map.
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