Using Updated Precincts
Now, in addition to the precincts that states reported to the Census Bureau for the 2020 census, when some or all of the precincts in a state have been redrawn you can use those updated precincts instead. The updates must come from an official government entity, such as a city (e.g. Boston, MA), a county (e.g. Maricopa County, AZ), or a state (e.g. Illinois).
When you create a new map or go to the Map Settings for an existing map for a state that has some updated precincts, you get a new Precincts row with a Pick Updates button. (Note the row is omitted if there are no precinct updates available for that state.) When you press that button, you get a popup that lets you pick one (or more) sets of updated precincts to use instead of the default 2020 precincts.
The Precincts button will now indicate how many updates you selected to use.
Once the updated precincts are applied to the map, all other features work without any other changes.
If updated precincts are available for a state, they are enumerated in a new Precinct Updates section on the state’s page.
Adding Updated Precincts
Currently we are only adding updated precincts that are available directly from the responsible governmental unit (e.g. a city, county or state). We need to validate that the precincts are valid (each new precinct must be fully contained within a single county and if any blocks are re-assigned from an existing precinct, all blocks in that precinct need to be re-assigned). If you believe there are new updated precincts that should be added to DRA, please send mail to feedback@davesredistricting.org with a link to the official website that specifies the official shapes for the new precincts, with precinct names. Alternatively, a block assignment file with 15 digit block IDs and the comma-separated precinct name on separate lines will also work. DRA staff will review the information and add the precincts (if appropriate) so they will show up automatically in the precinct picker.
