Gastonia holds meeting for public input on redistricting of election maps
Gastonia residents will get a chance Tuesday to tell city leaders what they think of a redrawing of election maps that divide the city by wards and play a role where elected officials must live.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, in Gastonia City Hall located at 181 S. South St.
“The public hearing will offer residents the opportunity to review the proposed plans for redistricting and give their feedback before any decisions are made,” said Gastonia Assistant City Manager Quentin McPhatter.
Uneven population growth in Gastonia over the past 10 years has created an unbalance in population between the six wards of the city. A City Council member comes from each of the six wards, although city voters cast votes for candidates regardless of what ward they live in.
But some wards — Ward 1 and Ward 3 in southeast Gastonia — experienced more growth, while Ward 4 and Ward 6 in west Gastonia had less.
Tuesday's meeting will include the city presenting different map scenarios of the redistricting plans for residents to provide input. The city has provided an interactive map online of the map scenarios for each ward for residents to view in advance.
How is Gastonia redrawing ward maps?
The city has partnered with Centralina Regional Council to help make the process seamless and easier to understand.
The process started Feb. 1 and will end Tuesday, May 3.
The city has worked with Centralina Regional Council to analyze Census 2020 data, gather local GIS data and review ideal scenarios for the size of each ward.
Throughout the process, the city has determined that each ward should have about 13,402 residents.
Redistricting scenarios
The city will consider two scenarios, scenarios A and C, for redrawing maps which will change borders for all six wards.
The new maps will represent a population close to the ideal size for each ward, which includes about 13,402 residents in each ward.
The maps online show residents the existing wards in comparison to the unique redistricting scenarios which are being considered for adoption.
What is redistricting?
The city redraws district boundaries to make sure that voting power and representation in each ward will be based on the most recent population data.
Why is the city redrawing ward maps?
Redistricting is mandatory under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The redistricting is also a federal and state-mandated process for communities with district-based voting to ensure equal distribution of representation.
Reach Janiya Winchester at 980-319-6819 or jwinchester@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia host meeting May 3 for public input on redrawing ward maps
