Drawing the Lines and Divvying up the State

Now that the election has come and gone and votes have been tallied, one of the next tasks for the State Legislature is redistricting and apportionment. During the process of redistricting, the Legislature will use the new 2010 census population data to re-draw Kansas House, Kansas Senate, Kansas Board of Education and the state's four Congressional districts. As population shifts, counties may gain or lose representation in the State Legislature or Congress. The final drawing of boundaries will occur after the adjournment of the 2012 legislative session.

Public Law 94-171, enacted by Congress in December 1975, requires the Census Bureau to provide state legislatures with the small area census population tabulations necessary for legislative redistricting.

The Legislative Redistricting Advisory Committee has already begun work on compiling resources for the Legislature.

Members of the Redistricting Advisory Committee:
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/2010CommMembership/2010-redist-ad-grp.pdf

Find maps, demographic tables and profiles for current Kansas House and Senate districts enacted by the 2002 Legislature. The population information was derived from the 2000 US Census of Population and Housing. The same information is available for Kansas' 10 State Board of Education and four Congressional districts:

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/LegisDist.htm

Find your Legislative, Congressional and Board of Education district numbers:

http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/

See the data available to the Legislature to use to help determine district boundaries:
http://www.census.gov/rdo/data/redistricting_data.html and
http://www.census.gov/rdo/data/state_legislative_district_data.html

Guide to the 2010 Redistricting Data from the U.S. Census:
http://www.census.gov/rdo/pdf/StrengthInNumbers2010.pdf

Learn more about the timeline for redistricting in Kansas from the Legislative Research Department:
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/Publications/2010Briefs/s-s-2-redistricting-timeline.pdf

As prescribed by the Constitution, the first decennial census was conducted in 1790. Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State at the time, directed the enumeration. Since then, the census has been taken in each year ending in a zero digit. Thus, the most recent enumeration (Census 2000) was the last census of the 20th century.

Learn more about apportionment at the U.S. Census:

http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/apportionment/index.html

Read the formula used to compute apportionment:
http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/apportionment/computing.html

History of apportionment in the United States:
http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/apportionment/history.html

View current state data for Kansas from the State Data Center of Kansas:

http://www.kslib.info/sdc/

Article contact: Kim Harp

Have you registered to vote yet?

It's time to start thinking about the August 3, 2010 primary election. Primary elections decide which candidate will be on the general election ballot for each party. The deadline to register to vote for the August Primary is Monday, July 19, 2010. You still have time to get out there and register.

Where can I register?
Libraries, many banks, some grocery stores, while getting your drivers license, Online
https://www.kdor.org/voterregistration/Default.aspx

Step 1. To find your district for Congressional leaders, State Board of Education, and state officials, go to http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/ . Type in your address and your current elected officials will pop up, as well as your districts.

Step 2. Once you know your districts you can find out who is running foroffice in your districts at the Secretary of State’s candidate list at:
http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_upcoming_candidate.asp

Step 3. To find out where you need to go to vote, contact your county election office. A list of offices and their phone numbers is available from the Secretary of State’s website at: http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_registration_ceo.asp

Another way is to access your personal voter registration information. This will name your polling site. You can find that at: https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/

Step 4. Be sure to mark August 3 on your calendar! If you would like to vote in advance, follow the steps provided at: http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_registration_voting.html

*For more information on registering to vote and advanced voting go to http://www.voteks.org/

Article contact: Kim Harp

Have you got the 2-1-1?

The United Way of the Plains has a telephone line which facilitates critical connections between individuals and families seeking services, volunteer opportunities, or both, and appropriate human services agencies, including community-based and faith-based organizations and government agencies. To access this number, all you have to do is dial 2-1-1 on your phone or cell phone.

You can also access the 2-1-1 service online at:
http://www.211kansas.org/211findhelp/Program/Search.aspx

When she was a Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced Senate Bill 211Congress that, if passed, would allow for grants that would encourage expansion of the 2-1-1 service. The full text of Senate Bill 211 and its related House Bill 211 , aptly numbered, may be found at:
http://thomas.loc.gov (type in sb 211 in the field provided to bring up the text)

Your Kansas State Government agencies also have various directories available online:

The Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) department has a similar search service to that of 2-1-1 which helps connect Kansans to the various programs it provides:
http://www.srskansas.org/services.htm

SRS also has an alphabetical list of Kansas area phone number hotlines for various services at:
http://www.srskansas.org/800list/A_800_list.htm

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has a list of phone numbers for their available services:
http://www.kdheks.gov/contact.html

A partnership of state agencies has an alphabetical directory of the services and programs available from several state agencies at:
http://services.ks.gov/

The Dykes Library at the University of Kansas Medical Center teamed up with libraries statewide to provide Kansans with Go Local- a free directory of health facilities, providers and services available in Kansas:
http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/local/kansas/homepage.cfm?areaid=45

Check out the Kansas Mentoring Program directory of volunteer opportunities listed by county:
http://kansasmentors.kansas.gov/Pages/FindaProgram.aspx

Article Contact: Kim Harp

How to Find Your Congressperson

Are you a concerned Kansan wanting to get involved in congressional events, but are afraid to speak out because you are unsure of who you can talk to?

Well, worry no more!

These links take you to sites sponsored by your Kansas government that will help you get in contact with Kansas' two senators and four representatives in Washington, D.C.

Congressional District Profiles from Kansas Legislative Research
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/LDP_Congressional.htm

Kansas Congressional Districts by County from Kansas Legislative Research
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/2002LDP/2002Congress_tables/E__Tables_Kansas_cd108T_KS_cou.pdf

Kansas Congressional Districts by City from Kansas Legislative Research
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/2002LDP/2002Congress_tables/E__Tables_Kansas_cd108T_KS_plc.pdf

Find your legislators by address or by map from KU Institute of Policy & Social Research
http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-legisportal/redistricting.do

Kansas State and Federal Officers contact list from the Kansas Secretary of State
http://www.kssos.org/forms/communication/officers.pdf

The Kansas Legislative Hotline can give you congressional contacts over the phone:
1-800-432-3924