Districting is different than most issues that come before the City Council. Instead of being limited to saying you support or oppose a City-prepared ordinance or resolution, you can draw a map yourself!
There are a variety of map-drawing tools available:
- Paper-only maps
- Paper maps with a Microsoft Excel Supplement Kit and the supplemental interactive view map
- Online map-drawing tool
Using whichever tool you prefer, the Council is interested in seeing your proposed map of 4 Council election districts (the Mayor will be separately elected citywide).
After you draw your proposed plan(s), you will be able to compare them with the other maps posted to the Draft Maps page.
Paper-Only Maps
You can use the simple one-page map (available in English or in Spanish) to draw your proposed districts and calculate the total population.
Supplemental Maps (PDF files, added as requested by Council or the public, coming soon):
- Latino percentage of Citizen Voting Age Population, by Census Block
- Asian-American percentage of Citizen Voting Age Population, by Census Block
- Renters, by Census Tract
- Census Blocks and PopUnits where Councilmembers reside
- Household Income $75,000 or higher, by Census Tract
Microsoft Excel Supplement
Are you familiar with the basic functions of Microsoft Excel? Then you can let Excel do the total population and demographic math for you. If you click on the link (available in English or in Spanish), you can save the Excel file to your computer. Then use the Excel file and the Map of Population Unit ID numbers (maps of which are available in English or in Spanish) to assign the Population Units to your desired districts, and Excel will provide the resulting demographics for each district.
Interactive Public Participation Kit Supplement
If you want to see exactly where the various Population Unit boundaries are located, or if you have difficulty reading the small print on the 8.5×11 PDF files, you can use the interactive map to zoom in and out on the Population Unit boundaries, and switch back and forth between PopUnit ID number labels and total population labels. It works like Google Maps, except you use check-boxes to choose what layers and labels you want to see on the map. (Once they are released, the Draft Maps will also appear as layer options on this same map.)
Online District-Drawing Tool
The most powerful map-drawing tool, but also the most difficult to use, is the online districting tool found here at this link. This tool enables you to draw districts Census Block by Census Block, just like the professional demographers. You can fine-tune your district lines and see, in detail, the resulting demographics as you draw your map.
But with this power comes complexity: this tool can be challenging to figure out at first. So before you log in, be sure to review the following helpful guides:
- A series of short, 90 to 120 second, training videos
- Quick Start Guide in English or en Español
- One-Page tool reference sheet in English and in Spanish.