City-Wide Puzzle

Local elections come and go, often with less than 10% of eligible voters participating. Take the May Austin City Council election for example. Just 7% of those eligible showed up to vote in the Place 3 contest that required a run-off to decide a winner (Source). After seeing how few people participated in the city council election, I realized that many Austinites are likely unaware of the actions of the council members elected to represent them. Many are also likely unaware of the proposed changes to city council district lines. 

In this article from the Daily Texan, Julian Bliss discusses the potential changes to district boundaries and demographics. This article is important to read because it provides new information about city council districting that many Austin residents are unfamiliar with. The issue of redistricting is important because it could potentially allow for the elected official from each zone, or "puzzle piece", to more accurately reflect the needs and/or desires of the residents of a certain part of town that otherwise might have been overlooked.  

The complete article, along with the proposed redistricting map, is available online via the Daily Texan. 

Plans Being Drawn for More Representative City Council