NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS (USA) – Maptitude for Online Redistricting is the tool of choice for Maryland’s Emergency Commission on Sixth Congressional District Gerrymandering.
Maryland announced it will provide citizens with the opportunity to help redraw Maryland’s 6th Congressional district hours before the Supreme Court agreed to consider Benisek v. Lamone. District boundaries must be redrawn on the basis of compactness and geographic continuity, and with regard for natural boundaries, boundaries of political subdivisions, and geographic and other communities of interest, and without considering how citizens are registered to vote or have voted in the past or to what political party they belong.
Citizens have until Wednesday, February 27, 2019 to submit alternate redistricting plans using the redistricting web portal, electronic files or a hardcopy plan.
Maptitude Online Redistricting is web-based redistricting software designed for governments or organizations that want to provide their members or the general public with a means to draw and report redistricting plans. Maptitude Online Redistricting comes in two flavors: Public and Legislator.
The Public Edition is intended for states that are legally required to, or simply wish to, open the redistricting process up to the general public. Anyone can logon, establish a user name and password, and create one or more redistricting plans.
The Legislator Edition is intended for states where Maptitude for Redistricting is used by redistricting staff and key legislators, but who want to extend the redistricting capability to the members at large. The Legislator Edition contains many of the features found in the Windows-based software but has been simplified in several ways so that members peripheral to the core redistricting process can still participate with little or no training in the software.
Caliper is a privately held corporation and is a leading developer of mapping, redistricting, transportation, and GIS software. Among the earliest customers of Maptitude for Redistricting were the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, who wanted affordable and easy-to-use software to check against biased redistricting. Today, Maptitude is used by redistricting commissions and most organizations involved in the redistricting process. Maptitude for Redistricting is used by a supermajority of the state legislatures, political parties, and public interest groups and has been used to democratize the redistricting process in states such as California.
