Dave’s Redistricting Releases 2020 Census Shapes and Enables Block-Level Districts
March 10, 2021; Seattle, WA
Dave’s Redistricting today announced two major advances to DRA 2020, its free, web-based application to create, view, analyze, and share district maps for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Dave’s Redistricting has released the 2020 Census P.L. 94–171 shapes for 50 states and D.C., empowering DRA users to start creating district maps for the upcoming redistricting cycle. Aware that advocacy organizations and citizen activists intend to push forward while the final census data is delayed, Dave’s Redistricting anticipates DRA users will start their maps today using available 2018 ACS estimates and 2020 shapes. Further, DRA 2020 now includes a “Convert to 2020” feature, whereby DRA users can convert their current maps into maps with 2020 shapes and 2018 ACS data.
When creating a new map, a DRA user can select 2020 Precincts in Map Settings and next select a Plan Type which auto-populates the District Count. When Congress is selected as the Plan Type, the District Count will reflect best-guess estimates of the upcoming congressional apportionment.
The new 2020 shapes include precincts and census blocks, as DRA 2020 now supports map building at the census block level when working with 2020 shapes. When a DRA user clicks the Block button in the Paint control and then clicks on any precinct, that precinct is “shattered” into its constituent census blocks. That individual can then paint discrete blocks within that precinct in the same manner counties and precincts are painted.
“As we interacted with advocacy organizations and state governments across the U.S., we recognized the need for a creative solution to enable organizations to kick off the process of 2021 redistricting in advance of the 2020 census data,” said Dave Bradlee, Founder of Dave’s Redistricting. “We believe the combination of 2020 Census shapes with 2018 ACS estimates will enable all of our users to make progress immediately. Once 2020 census data is released, we will upload that data, allowing our users to make final adjustments to their maps.”
“DRA has always been my favorite redistricting app, hands down. And just when I thought it couldn’t get better, it has,” said Dave Wasserman, House Editor for The Cook Political Report. “With new census block level support, as well as its previously released analytics tools, DRA 2020 is a complete district mapping service that can create maps suitable for submission to redistricting commissions and state legislatures. And with the release of 2020 geographies, DRA users can start drafting 2021 maps today. This is a truly historic breakthrough: a fully functional, top-notch redistricting app available to the public at no cost.”
“As an active user of DRA for community advocacy in Washington State, I’m excited by the release of 2020 census block shapes. This will allow redistricting activists like me to develop districts that the commissioners will actually be able to implement,” said Alison McCaffree, Redistricting & Census Issue Chair for the League of Women Voters of Washington. “Combining the new shapes with data from 2018 will give us an approximation of the 2020 districts that we can build consensus around in our communities. Thanks to Dave’s Redistricting for providing this free and compelling tool.”
For additional information please read Drawing 2020 Maps and Painting With Blocks, and watch the Introducing 2020 Shapes and Census Blocks video.
Dave’s Redistricting is a team of volunteers with a shared passion for technology and democracy. Our mission is to empower civic organizations and citizen activists to advocate for fair congressional and legislative districts and increased transparency in the redistricting process.
DRA 2020 is a free web app to create, view, analyze and share redistricting maps for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. DRA 2020 includes demographic data from the 2010 census and 2018 5-Year ACS estimates and extensive election data. Official congressional and state legislative district maps are included and can be used to start new maps, or you can create maps from scratch. A comprehensive feature set makes it easy to create and modify maps while keeping them within the accepted parameters. DRA 2020 also includes a rich set of analytics, including measures of proportionality, competitiveness, minority representation, compactness, and splitting.
Contact: news@davesredistricting.org
