S5, E2 - Explaining California’s Redistricting Process (feat. Paul Mitchell and Evan McLaughlin of Redistricting Partners)

On this latest episode of On the Job With PORAC, PORAC President Brian Marvel and Vice President Damon Kurtz host a Zoom discussion with Paul Mitchell and Evan McLaughlin of Redistricting Partners to examine California's redistricting process and what the future of the state's lines look like.

 

ABOUT REDISTRICTING PARTNERS

Redistricting Partners has been working for the last 10+ years on redistricting, racially polarized voting analysis, California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) implementation, and mid-decade redistricting work, primarily in California, for the past decade, with GIS and political experience that goes back more than 20 years.

Redistricting Partners was formed with a focus on engaging in the statewide redistricting process under the new California Redistricting Commission in 2011. This work quickly moved into local municipal redistricting, advising and implementing transitions from at-large election systems to districted election systems for dozens of community college districts throughout the state.

For the last decade, much of our work has been with cities, community college districts, school boards and other kinds of agencies, such as hospital districts, water boards and other special districts.

Our work has also extended to outside organizations working to ensure a fair redistricting process, and protect communities.  This includes groups like Equality California, who have sought to preserve the power of LGBTQ communities within redistricting.

Redistricting Partners is headed by Paul Mitchell, a data consultant based in Sacramento.

Mitchell has conducted the redistricting for more than 75 states, cities, school boards and community college districts, including the State of New York Independent Redistricting Commission, the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission, the Long Beach Independent Redistricting Commission, commissions in Oakland, Berkeley and Mesa Az.  His firm’s work on racially polarized voting analysis and demographics has aided dozens of agencies as they navigate the California and Federal Voting Rights Acts.

Mitchell also works with nonprofit organizations, such as the Irvine Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union, the Advancement Project, Common Cause and others in building community engagement and working throughout California and Nationally on elections and voting issues, including advising in the State of New Mexico’s inaugural redistricting commission, working with the State Ethics Committee on guidelines for commissioners and evaluating the final maps.  In total, Mitchell and his firm has worked in more than 15 states around the country advising on statewide redistricting.

Mitchell has been regularly cited in the media as an expert on elections and redistricting, including as the subject of a CNN Presents special on the decennial redistricting process, being interviewed on the PBS News Hour election coverage in 2020, participating in the 538 Podcast series on redistricting reform, and as a regular analyst on California-based network TV election coverage.

For the past 10 years, Mitchell has also served as Vice President of the bi-partisan Political Data Inc where he works with both political parties, campaigns, nonprofits and universities, with a specialty in polling and survey data. Mitchell earned his associate degree from Orange Coast College, an undergraduate from American University, and a Master’s in Public Policy from USC.

Vice President of Redistricting Partners, Evan McLaughlin most recently served as Chief of Staff to California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, where he managed legislative efforts to expand voting rights and empower underrepresented communities.

Before his work in the State Capitol, McLaughlin was Political and Legislative Director at the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, where he advised a coalition of community organizations in the region on the statewide, county and city redistricting processes that took place in 2011. In 2020 he led a project of analyzing potential districting plans under a California Voting Rights Act conversion and working with a coalition of agencies to help them understand the impacts of potential scenarios.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Redistricting Partners.