Recap: ACER's 2022 Civic Engagement work
Gearing up for the November midterms, this year ACER's Civic Engagement team has been working with community members and partner organizations to provide citizens with the information they need to be confident voters.
Redistricting Updates:
Redistricting is the process of redrawing electoral boundaries. Whether cities remain within the same district or whether they are separated can impact political outcomes, policy, and their ability to enact collective action.
Congressional Redistricting:
ACER engaged in mapping sessions within our communities and tenant cohorts in which best redistricting outcomes were discussed and redistricting lines were proposed. ACER defended the interests of the Northwest Suburbs by
encouraging the Minnesota Judiciary to allow Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center to remain in the same senate district; we identified points of interest and recommended redistricting lines that would preserve schools, businesses, and houses of worship that operated within the same district. Recognizing the importance of bringing community members into these discussions, we collaborated with multiple Brooklyn Park renters to present testimonies regarding redistricting and transportation before Minnesota Representative Mary Murphy and national Senator Tina Smith during public testimonies.
Read: ACER Community Organizer testifies before House Redistricting Committee
Brooklyn Park Local Redistricting:
Brooklyn Park has seen recent changes in local districts as a result of the latest ten-year census data, released in August of 2021. The Brooklyn Park City Council approved a new district map on February 24, 2022, and adopted the redistricting ordinance on March 28, 2022.
Voting Information Events
Disability and Language Accessibility when Voting
ACER inc. hosted a virtual forum focusing on voting in relation to disability and language accessibility. Topics included language translation when voting or registering to vote and assistance in the voting process for individuals with disabilities.
Ranked Choice Voting Education
ACER held a Ranked Choice Voting webinar on Zoom, live-streamed on Facebook, featuring Sec. State Steve Simon, Rep. Dean Phillips, Brian Bosire of FairVote Minnesota, and Michael Sund from the Office of the St. Louis Park City Clerk. The event brought these advocates and public officials together to inform voters and interested parties about the RCV voting system, which is already active in some parts of Minnesota and that some municipalities are considering enacting.
Voter Community Meetings
ACER held a series of virtual voter community meetings to inform people about a variety of topics including registering to vote online, in person, or absentee, local elections, and changes to polling locations.
At this first virtual voter community meeting, Minnesota Director of Elections David Maeda, Brooklyn Park City Clerk Devin Montero, and Founder of Black Votes Matter MN Anika Robbins joined ACER to discuss the current state of voting in Minnesota.
ACER also held a second virtual Community Meeting hosted by Organizing Manager Madeleine Lerner. Joining Madeleine was Brooklyn Park City Clerk Devin Montero, League of Women Voters Redistricting Coordinator Paul Huffman, and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.