AOTL: Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission Must Improve Grid Map Hearing Schedule and Community Outreach
For Immediate Release:
September 14, 2021
Contact:
Fabiola Rodriguez
rodriguez@redistrictingaction.org
IRC should focus on community education, engagement, and on removing barriers to hearing participation
Today, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) released a public hearing schedule for grid map public input. Given what was released, All On The Line calls on the IRC to improve the hearing schedule by selecting additional host locations in diverse communities, removing barriers to hearing participation, and ensuring that more community outreach is done throughout this process.
“During public hearings, the IRC heard directly from individuals and advocates about the lack of hearings held in communities of color as well as the lack of translation and interpretation services. The public’s input however is not reflected in the updated public hearing schedule, and there’s clearly a need to improve on this schedule prior to the start of upcoming hearings,” said Kendra Alvarez, Arizona All On The Line State Director.
“Among the many issues with the public hearing schedule released today, there are no instructions about how to request translation or interpretation support; no hearings in the Latino regions of the West Valley in Phoenix; hearings are held during hours that would prohibit people who work traditional hours from participating; and in spaces with limited attendance, there is no clarity on how someone can confirm they’ll be allowed to speak. These challenges discourage people from participating in a process that should be driven by public input. That’s why All On The Line calls on the IRC to improve the hearing schedule by selecting additional hearing locations, and doing more community outreach throughout this process so that every Arizonan can have their voice heard,” continued Alvarez.
In order to ensure a fair and transparent redistricting process that takes into account public input, All On The Line Arizona also submitted a petition to the IRC on Monday, signed by 268 Arizonans, demanding more hearings in communities of color.
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