St. Mary's County, MD Redistricting Board for St. Mary's County, 21 Sep 2021

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From YouTube: 9/21/21 Redistricting Board for St. Mary's County

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A

We're going to bring the redistricting board meeting to uh session uh we're first going to.

A

Do a roll call, my name is rich johnson, I'm the chair and to my left, pat richardson, to my right.

A

Paul thompson: lance johnson: I don't think we have anyone on zoom, so we have a quorum. So we're good.

A

We're going to go over the approve the agenda, so it looks like it is going to go.

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Over some stuff, hopefully we have more questions for you and you're going to.

A

I think that's going to be a combined into the next session, where we're sharing we're going to be.

A

Using you for some data we're going to show so it's kind of like a combination.

A

And then looks like the county attorney, we're probably going to go over the new.

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Meeting date for the public to uh come in and and ask us questions due to probably covid concerns.

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So anybody have any questions on the agenda changes or that we want to do no.

A

So, do I hear a motion to approve the agenda? I move to approve the agenda as presented. Do I hear a.

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Second, I second, all those in favor say aye aye, all those opposed, say, nay, eyes have. It notion, carries.

A

Next meeting minutes from last week, I looked at it, it looked, they had the content correct start times.

A

Are good so um have you guys have any issues with the the meetings of last week? Comments changes.

A

Lance you're, looking! No! No! No! No I'm just! I don't have any I'm sorry! Okay, that's fine!.

A

uh Do I hear a motion to approve the minutes as written.

B

I'll make a motion to approve the minutes from september 14th as presented. Do I hear a second yes.

A

Yes, lance says: yes, all those in favor say aye aye, all those I all those opposed, say. Nay. I is.

A

Habit motion carries so we're gonna go right into the agenda, uh we got it any new things. You need.

A

To tell us- or we just maybe go into some analysis yeah. No, I have nothing new to present for you, I'm.

C

um Here to answer any questions and facilitate the the showing of your maps and okay, I gave it some.

A

Stuff, I came up with: do you guys have anything to or you just want see what I got we'll see what you.

D

Have maybe I'll give you some money I was playing around. I got some yeah, I mean I think I went a.

D

Little baby a little too fast. Well, you should have gotten that spreadsheet in it yeah. I can.

A

Go over how that works, but the first original is good because it gives you all the original numbers.

A

Since we can't do reset right, we can't reset. So if you ever go back, make sure those numbers match.

A

Okay, on the original, for, like population um you have population, you got voters greater than 18.

A

And then you have uh people that are registered to vote. So what I did this is looks like he has it up.

A

So I'm going to use you as my mouse there you go! So if you look down here.

A

Great mills area- and we we discussed this last time- that the big problem is.

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District 4 and district 2 from what there's an imbalance there's about a little bit over.

A

District 4 has about over 5 000 population above the the average of all the different.

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Districts, so it's also in registered votes everywhere. It's even people greater than 18.

A

So we also discussed that you know in district 4. The big problem is the alexian park. Great mills.

A

Area, it's very dense. I've been here since 87 and it's been building up ever since, and it's.

A

Not going to stop so in order to maybe handle for now, maybe into the future. What I did I had.

A

Well, it would have worked easier if you had district 2 closer to the lexington park.

A

Great mills area which, but we don't have it so I basically had to do a you- know- pay period to pay.

A

Paul I put this district down here. It had about exactly what I was looking for about 2 000 people.

A

And that was the number that um that was the difference of four compared to two is about 2000.

A

That would correct it so by grabbing that area, unfortunately, it does grab the the high school.

A

As a voting place, the great mills high school, it was also there and didn't look like you. Could.

A

Zoom in to get around it, so once you grab that area grips everything so again we can discuss.

A

This later for other ways of doing this, but by doing that I was able to push over into two.

A

Parts of one and four you can see you can move that up there and that leveled everything out so.

A

If you pull up that spreadsheet pull up the original, so we can show what we're talking about.

A

So the original data is, like I said original, so you can see four compared to anybody. It's over.

A

5000 above the average, if you start looking at the percentage over here in the blue, you can see four.

A

Compared to two, it's like 26.5 percent- and you know, we've been advised by the legal counsel to.

A

Try to strive for about a ten percent or so uh difference so and you can see even comparing.

A

Four to one it's twelve percent and even the other districts compare- and these are all adjoining.

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The blanks are where there's no adjoining, so I couldn't do any data there. We can see there's.

A

15 from two to one and and so on so and if you look even further to the right, you can even see.

A

You get to even if we were just going for reservoir you're, going to get the same kind.

A

Of thing you got 18 18.6, uh comparing district four to two um and a little bit from looks like.

A

From one to two, it's 11.44, so these are the original numbers. Four was a problem.

A

So if you look at going to the edit, that's the rich edit data, well, it just hit the other tab. So.

A

Using what I did on the map moving things around and putting in the changes for the population.

A

uh Population, greater than 18 also reaches for voters. uh I get better actual mold below 10.

A

On both current population percentage, current district population, rather eight 18.

A

For age, and also the far right, you need a bigger display over here. I can't see it.

A

But he's got registered voters over here, they're all below the 10 value, um so.

A

I mean, when I put together, worked whether it's the actual final answer. I doubt it we're going.

A

To have discussions, but this is sort of something that I was looking for, because I'm just looking.

A

At the numbers you know I analyze data all the time, so you can yeah. You can see all.

A

The plots they level out a lot better from the original data, so any questions or from the board.

A

That was my try, I'm waiting for your tries and uh I have one out there, but it's uh it's a.

D

It's probably not feasible, because it's a lot of changes. It's basically, I just was playing.

D

Around with it all, I basically touched almost every single uh county to kind of just try to.

D

Shift it to try to make the numbers kind of more in line with each other, so they're all about even.

D

Knowing and giving district 4 a little less knowing that it's going to probably surpass and.

D

The the goal was within three to five years. All the counties would kind of still stay within.

D

uh Lump of each other, I'm not sure if you want to bring up the map, I can just show it.

D

To you yeah, I mean it's worth a discussion, but the only problem is that it's so much.

D

Changed that it would be like almost impossible to get done just but um but I'll show you.

D

So, first of all, you can see on the graph that it's they're pretty much all. Even so I don't. I.

D

Didn't have a I didn't, get a chance to put a nice spreadsheet together or anything like that, but.

D

I just just kind of give you an idea um like I said I don't think it's really.

D

It just depends on how much you really want to get into it, but um so what I did is I for district.

D

Two, I kind of stole back some of the original.

D

um Areas that that was given to district four back in 2013. um and then.

D

What I did is to because that kind of lops made it too very lopsided, because that's a heavily.

D

Populated area, so I kind of shaved a little bit off of two to give to three using the.

D

The river there, as kind of like a dividing and then just try just trying to find a.

D

Line that kind of went straight up, and then you can see what I did with one.

D

um To give it a little bit more populate population, my just total population.

D

Kind of cut into um so really kind of made great mills more of one, but I kind of went up into two.

D

A little bit further and like I said my the only thing I was doing when I was playing around is I.

D

Was just trying to see if I could get the numbers to closely align, but I wasn't really looking at.

D

The polling places and things like that and how it would change. So it's like if it's a little too.

D

Far out there I was gonna, I can I'm just gonna. I can reset it. I was just that was my first.

D

Thought process, but I you can activate the polling places if we want to see if anything went away.

D

But I kind of like I really feel like. If, if we do anything at all, I think it's going to be more.

D

Kind of in line with with what you have because you're really limiting what you're you know, you're.

D

Not touching so many different areas right, but yet you're still trying to balance that out within.

D

That less than ten percent kind of thing, but um I mean it, looks like you attacked it similar to me.

A

Like in the great mills area, yeah yeah, we lost the great mills high school, again yeah, but it.

D

Just puts great mills in that region, one because that area is so big that you know right. You have.

D

To give them some place to you know a voting place yeah. So I don't know it's just an idea.

B

I, like the contiguous nature of the districts that they're.

B

They look good on the map as far as the blocking of it. Nothing really stands out.

B

I went down this route at first too, making a lot of changes and then, after the last meetings,.

B

Some of the we kind of discussed, maybe trying to minimize.

B

The changes yeah people don't like change, so we know that so um and now being on that other.

D

Meeting last night I could tell there was a lot of uh angst about any kind of change. You know so.

D

Our goal is to try to you know.

D

Make it as even as we can without going too far, you tag four and see what the population.

A

So we write down some numbers here: yeah, two: six, oh six, what's three, two: nine six, seven two two.

D

So, with district one, it was like twenty nine thousand, two twenty, which wasn't too much for.

D

Different than the first go round um district two becomes is now in twenty two thousand twenty.

D

I'm sorry: twenty nine thousand fifty five district three becomes twenty nine thousand.

D

Six, fifty seven and then district four, like I said it's twenty six thousand. So it's about three.

D

Thousand difference but like like I said I I, like you, can see the growth in district four, so you.

D

Just you, you know, you know the condos everything are there. So it's going to catch up real, quick.

D

I think the other counties when you look at growth, you don't see as many neighborhoods you.

D

Know popping up, as you know and neighborhoods you see, are smaller they're, not uh so they're.

D

It's going to grow every, I think every crown is going to grow in population. I just don't think.

D

It's going to grow to the degree that four is because the base- oh yeah, like.

A

District, one ridge, that's yeah that hasn't really changed much yeah, it's just yeah, but.

D

Like I said you know, one uh was it three kind of like there's, not a whole lot of changes up there.

D

I think I think the most if two and four probably are going to be the fastest growing, but I think.

D

Four, just because it's so close to the base so and rightfully so that's where a lot of jobs are so.

D

What that was my first attempt.

E

I started with a similar goal of trying to send back the area that.

E

Was moved before um and then it was too many yeah. It was like all of a sudden. It just too had.

E

So many people so then I backed off of that and I tried to keep them close to the border.

E

My reasoning was that if you, if you can maintain, if you can take a whole precinct and.

E

Without taking away every all of the you know, most of the polling places.

E

Then there's less change to adjust to, but again this was my very first.

E

And I'm nowhere near ready to say this is what I would want to go with.

E

I had a little bit of an issue with.

E

Since I'm retired now I don't have access to a big screen.

E

So I use a mac air. It's a little hard to see. I was having a little trouble.

E

With that um zoom out just a little bit like on the map itself, just there you go.

D

Yeah so I ended up with like we got to within the 10. um I took four down to 28 431.

A

Just get these numbers and.

E

I didn't do anything to three or anything to one, so those two stayed the same.

E

And I had two at 29 692 for total population.

E

But I think the next thing that I want to I want to start looking at is: are there some reasons that.

E

These areas should not be moved and, and it may be natural boundaries, but it may be.

E

um The polling issue the polling place, so I didn't get that far.

A

Well, you can pull up the polling place and we'll see what happens.

A

It's like you kept them. I tr I did try to keep the polling places and again that was just.

E

One did he go down here this, uh oh maybe he did lose some. You got that one. There.

A

Looks like the other one just north of there is on the border. Look over two now.

A

So that's a question to the election folks.

A

That are here right. That's us, that's you so they gave it to you.

A

Let's- and this is the yeah I'll make sure we're gonna we're gonna show my mac before we move. I.

B

Wasn't making sure I was talking to her okay, all right. My question is: if, as we move things around.

A

If you get like some of these are right on the really border is there, does it have to go back.

A

Into two, or is there a way because we won't we als? We don't want to you know. People are used to going.

A

To their polling place, so is there a way of still, even though it went to two to keep it in four.

F

Microphone, so is the question: if the district, if the polling place.

B

For a for one district is actually resides in another district. Does it have to move correct.

A

Particularly if it's right on the edge like a lot of these, are right on the edge.

A

You know, is it, are these map go? Are they going to dictate? Thou shall now go to district 2, or are you.

A

Going to have some flexibility say no we're going to keep it where it is for the other district. Even.

A

Though stay, we can't move the election, you can't move it so they're going to go in another they're.

F

Not moving to the polling places polling places, yes have to stay in well, I shouldn't say, have to.

F

Have to stay in there because sometimes there's no polling place in that area, so we have to go.

F

Outside of that district, so so yes, that can change. Okay, that's the point something to keep it, not the.

D

Difference so you don't, you can't create new polling places, polling places that are there.

D

Have to stay there so when, when we're creating these maps, we have to kind of.

D

We do have to look at that, so we can make sure that the people that are in that area have plenty.

D

Of places to vote right, it's just another part of the equation. You know yes, this is the other stuff.

F

Did we lose somebody? Yours is just representation, so it's not going to change where they go vote.

F

Okay, you know what I'm saying: you're, just they're being represented by a different commissioner.

D

Okay, so even if they're changed they're pulling pulling places okay, so even that polling place.

D

Is in green, let's say um which is area two. If you were in four and you're right there in wildwood.

D

And you're, but you're happening with it, you can vote and okay. So that's not that's good.

D

That's good to know all right, that's good want! Thank you. I'm sure we'll have more questions.

A

Do you have any ask before they leave hold on a second I had. I had one more question.

E

I'm sorry actually a request: is it possible to get a chart or table of population by precinct.

E

Total population population or registered voters population would be eric sting.

F

Registered voters would be registered voters and then over 18 is that also board of elections.

E

Is it possible to get that by precinct? I I have that data already present, it's not being.

C

Displayed in this map, but it's already part of the data that I'm showing so I can, I can add.

C

Graphs of population by precinct into the map, as well as provide a spreadsheet for.

C

Easier easier viewing that matches all this data exactly okay, great! Thank you.

A

Next, we want to show your data.

A

Any more questions, no okay,.

B

So I would say this is my second draft, the first one I was more aggressive on this time. I kept one.

B

And three the same and just adjusted two into four to try to balance out the population.

B

I guess when I was doing this, I wasn't looking at the voting priests. Anything like that. I was trying.

B

To look at the roads and where I thought the um like a natural boundary would be as far as like.

B

You know clark's landing road myrtle point road to not divide a a long road like that in half where.

B

One district is on one side of the other and that's sort of how I ended where I ended in in the.

B

uh Two changes in the district four was that the myrtle point stayed in four wildwood state.

B

And four but yeah the clark's landing other parts of hollywood moved into two.

B

I think the only thing I was sort of.

B

I do like making some changes to one to sort of make it a little more contiguous.

B

And also three being smaller and knowing it's going to stay, probably smaller.

B

I kind of felt a little wishing I'm tempted to make another adjustment to three to to.

B

Increase its population, but from two but the the hesitancy is that once you start.

B

Doing that, then, I think a lot of changes start happening because then two has to grow even more.

B

To make up for the losses, so this was my quick and simple, as I would refer to it.

A

Okay, can we go on each one? Well, I'm just writing down the numbers for.

A

For each one for a population, so one is two: nine three okay, what's two.

A

Oh going too quick, I can't write that sorry.

A

Okay, three do like data in the chamber: 540, okay, four.

B

But yeah I didn't did not do any analysis. I don't know what the percentages are as far as yeah. I.

A

Hit our 10 goal, I don't it might not even make it easy for you. Maybe a little calculated all right.

B

I appreciate that all right, so is it possible? I mean we got numbers. Is there any is a possibility.

A

To see share all this data with everyone else, what each person is put together take a look at it.

C

It is possible, I have to think how to do that.

C

It's it's a little bit of work to uh manually, add everybody's uh copy into everybody else's.

C

Copy so that you can see them um all within within your own map, but it is possible.

C

So the other thing you could do is take snapshots of what they did. So we get a visual, um perhaps.

C

An easier um I could just share a a new map with you all. It would be exactly the same map.

C

And you could and it would have everybody's okay loaded in there as a non-editable example. So I can.

C

You know tomorrow morning I could take everybody's, save it off and then put them all in cinderella. We.

A

Have like another selection like look at paul and hit paul, and if I want to hear it, hit, pass yeah.

C

So it would just be a it would be a new map and in the stat player you have five layers and it.

C

Would just be each of your each of your examples as a static layer that you could all all look.

C

At would be static, but could we still put in the polling places? Oh yeah, I can, or you can use these.

A

Other layers, I can add in there as well yeah, so I think we need to look at each other's ideas and.

A

Yeah, I think that'd be helpful if you could add those layers. That would be great.

C

Yeah that saves me a lot of work to just send you a new map that has that, rather than adding it to.

C

Every single person's that it exponentially multiplies the the effort. So is there a way.

D

To like, like that's like my draft one mm-hmm and then is there a way of saving that so I can.

A

Reset, I know, and they have to reset each time right. It's apparently we we can't save.

A

You know this iteration one. You know this is lance number one. We've got last there.

A

Is no lance number two yeah you gotta go back and but when you save that as a layer.

D

Because that goes into another, yes, I would say that often that's why you saved.

C

For posterity, I would call that number one, okay and then like that, would be all of our.

D

Our initial, I don't think once it goes over there, it's not edible. It's just that's what it is. That's.

C

What it is that was your first draft, and it is what it is and yeah yeah, and then you can on your.

C

On your map, you can go, try something different on the next meeting. You can present version two and.

C

Okay, um then, we can load that into the into the map, but we still have three there. That draft.

D

Version which is in those layers that we could bring up and at a later time or whatever yeah.

A

But we can't bring it back in for edit yeah. um No, you won't. You won't be able to like.

A

I'd like to bring it in and switch switch back about that think about that. um I think you said.

D

It was a limitation of the software itself right um yeah, it's just not set up for.

C

Users to be able to save and change, and and it's it's yeah- this is really set up for you know.

C

Letting users all combine edit a single, a a single item that you know doesn't need versions um just.

C

Yeah the needs to do all that is just with databases, just gets very, very complicated.

C

And this software wasn't designed for that level of. So, in addition to sharing what other people.

A

Have done the other thing we probably need to be able to get like the numbers. I just wrote down.

A

It'd be nice to see people see those numbers. Can you do that too, for what? Whatever the iteration.

A

Have what was their total population? Yes, okay! So we'd like to see that too, maybe it's added to the.

A

Layers, I don't know how you want to do it. um Yes, I'll probably I would. It would probably actually.

C

Be when you go, um you know, click on lance version, one um it would. uh I would probably actually add.

C

The population right here so that you would you would see it there, be um because I I can't.

C

um Yeah, I can't go right. I mean visually, adding dozens of these um little little pie chart.

C

Bar chart tools, but I I can preserve the the um the population so that total population.

D

Thing over here to the left: that's if you just had it select one layer. Let's say you had mine.

D

Selected on in that that say, draft version, one or whatever that would show the total.

D

Population for my map right and then, if you unclick mine and brought up, say paul's map.

D

You don't see the total population there. No, there would have to be a separate.

C

Button a separate one for each person's layer. It's it's tied to the to the layer! That's why it would.

C

Then I'd have to have five of these and I I could do that and then title them, but you just have to.

C

You'd have to make sure you're opening the correct total population chart for the for the person's.

C

Map that you're, you have selected in the layer list, so so what would end up being in that total.

D

Population box, if you did that layer thing, would it be a combination of all of our maps together.

D

So then it would be really blown out of proportion. No, I can. I can set each one of these widgets as it.

C

Were I I set which layer it's looking at, but it's it's it's set to that. So I would. I would create.

C

Five of these and each one would be preset to look at a different layer and you, as the user.

C

Would have to make sure you're opening the correct one to match the layer that you're.

C

Looking at from there, you're not going to gray out the other ones to prevent us from making a mistake.

C

No it's, unfortunately, it's not that smart, like I said we're, really taxing the the intent and the.

C

The capability of this software here, okay, anybody else- have any other questions for it or.

A

I think the next thing we have to go over is the lawyer. I guess you want to talk about.

A

Schedule and I guess we have to approve the extra meeting on the 23rd of november.

G

Folks, again, john houser from the county attorney's office hall, we've got for you this evening is.

G

Follow up to the discussion last week, whether the you all this board wanted to add on a fifth.

G

Public hearing we identified the date for that as november 23rd. We just need a vote. If you all would.

G

Like to do that and the rest can be done, um I looked at my schedule, I'm good. I mean this is the.

A

Week of thanksgiving, so I don't know what you guys have planned: 23rd you're good. So we have two goods.

A

Everybody else good or that me uh every would someone want a motion to approve.

A

This meeting on the 23rd for folks that can come in due to cobia restrictions or concerns.

A

Anybody I move to approve the motion. Okay, do I hear a second? Second, all those in favor say.

A

Aye aye aye, all those opposed, nay eyes have it. We've got the meeting on the 23rd that'll, be it.

G

We'll take it from there. Thank you all right, so we approve that we're gonna you're gonna work.

A

I.T you're gonna work on giving us sharing of what everyone's ideas yeah. So I will.

C

I will export everybody's tomorrow morning and then send you all a link to that map, where you can.

C

View everybody's together and then at that point you'd be free to to start editing your own maps.

C

Again, head towards version two for next week so and just so that if anyone has any questions, send.

A

It to diane or sharon and she will disseminate our questions, whether it's I I t or the lawyers.

A

Whether we're doing everything right so we can't talk openly because we want to make sure everyone.

A

Is you know aware of what we're doing so, I'm sure we're gonna have questions on the maps and.

A

You know you probably have some questions for it, so we can just ask we'll, go to you and you'll.

A

Disseminate so I think that's pretty much it so anyone else have any other questions concerns.

A

Well, do I hear a motion to adjourn the meeting.

B

I move to adjourn the meeting. Do I hear a second yes.

A

Those that they would say aye hi, all those opposed a motion- carries we're adjourned.