KS Fair Maps

Kansans Won't Forget

We knew it was going to be a hard fight. For nearly a year KS Fair Maps partners have been organizing, messaging, training, and preparing for a redistricting process that would ultimately be decided by the KS Supreme Court. We're proud of what we accomplished - hundreds of pieces of testimony collected, dozens of media pieces calling for fair maps, a successful case in district court, and all of YOUR voices calling for fair maps - but we're still disappointed in the result.

We're also mad.

Kansans deserve a redistricting process that is transparent and maps that are fair. What we got instead was a secretive process and gerrymandered maps that will dilute the votes of minority voters for the next 10 years. 

We've taken a couple of days to reflect, and we're gearing up for the next steps. But in the meantime, we wanted to connect with you. We have a couple of things we want you to know.

Thank you. Seriously, THANK YOU. You showed up at every opportunity to  speak up for fair maps. The amount of public testimony that could be cited was critical for the win in the district court, and we couldn't have done that without you.

Let your legislator know that you're still watching. What happened in the Statehouse was an egregious display of partisan gamesmanship. Email your legislator now - before the session ends on Monday - and let them know that gerrymandering is wrong and we will not forget their role in drawing fair maps.

It's time to get out the vote! We have HUGE elections coming this summer and fall for constitutional amendments, the State House, and local offices, and the filing deadline for candidates is next month. We need good candidates to run in these newly drawn districts, and voters to turn out in both August and November. 

We're here for you. KS Fair Maps partners are organizing, advocating, and educating voters. We invite you to join us by contacting any of our organizations and getting involved in these efforts.

Thank you again for being part of this momentous effort to bring fair maps to Kansas, and stay tuned. There's still lots of work to do, and we hope you'll be there fighting right beside us.

KS Fair Maps Coalition

The KS Fair Maps Coalition is a nonpartisan grassroots education and engagement effort by organizations and individuals who want to see an equitable redistricting process that:

• • • • is accessible to all Kansans and allows for meaningful participation regardless of location, ability, language, etc
      • is free of partisan tactics and bias
      • results in districts of equal population based on constitution, law, and communities of interest.

Coalition partners include (in alphabetical order): from the 2021-2022 cycle

• • • • ACLU of Kansas
      • Equality Kansas
      • Kansas African American Affairs Commission
      • Kansas Action for Children
      • Kansas Appleseed
      • Kansas Civic Engagement Table
      • Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns
      • Kansas Interfaith Action
      • Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission
      • League of Women Voters of Kansas
      • Loud Light
      • Mainstream Coalition
      • The Voter Network
      • Working Kansas Alliance

The KS redistricting process is moving quickly. Check this post regularly for quick updates about what is happening and how you can get involved.

On Thursday, March 10 the Senate introduced three possible Senate maps - Eisenhower, Liberty 2, and Bluestem (all available here - just scroll down to Senate maps). And as expected, they announced on Friday that the deadline to submit public testimony is Monday at 10:30 am. This means we have just a few days to comment on the maps that will shape our legislative districts for the next 10 years.

On February 28, KS Fair Maps and our partners held a training on how to make your voice heard about community representation and redistricting.  Check out our event presentation and recording to hear more about how to prepare your fair maps testimony.

The Kansas legislature passed a racially and ethnically gerrymandered Congressional map in Ad Astra 2. The following is a brief overview of the concerns that KS Fair Maps has with this map.

Kansans took advantage of several opportunities to provide public input during the redistricting process. KS Fair Maps is providing the following overview on the number, geographic reach, and content of the testimony received.

The KS redistricting process is moving quickly. Check this post regularly for quick updates about what is happening and how you can get involved.

On January 7, 2022, KS Fair Maps sent a formal letter to the Kansas Redistricting Advisory Group and Committees on Redistricting as well as an open advisory, expressing our disappointment with the path our state’s redistricting process is currently taking. We called on committee members to:

• Remove the legislative sponsor requirement
• Eliminate physical and technical barriers to participation
• Create and communicate a transparent timeline
• Commit to the inclusion of community input