Updates On The Fight
Learn more about what lead us here and what happens next in this great Investigative Post piece. And if you're interested, you can download the official Verified Petition.
A short timeline of events
The People Spoke, the Press Took Note
Throughout the redistricting process, the Buffalo press widely covered (and sided!) with Buffalo residents speaking out about the opaque and undemocratic redistricting process. Check out articles and segments in: The Buffalo News, Investigative Post, Spectrum News 1, Channel 7 News, Buffalo Rising, and WBFO.
OCAB's emphasis on public education
With zero public education about redistricting coming from City Hall, OCAB took it upon ourselves to bring people up to speed
Throughout the redistricting process, no information was given to Buffalo residents about what "reapportionment" or "redistricting" is, why it it important, or how it would affect our lives. Our City Action members filled the gap by creating accessible illustrated explainers (in both English and Spanish), providing an ongoing up-to-date stream of social posts and videos to keep people abreast of the process, and hosting a number of teach-ins for the public that featured experts who could answer resident's questions in real time.
Visual Explainers
OCAB produced a number of accessible, illustrated visual guides to help the public understand what redistricting is and why it matters.
Social Posts & Videos
OCAB also kept residents informed about the redistricting process via engaging videos to let them know how to get involved.
OCAB's proposed solution
OCAB didn't believe that just alerting the public to the process was enough, we also proposed an alternative plan.
Not only was the redistricting process lead by Buffalo's Common Council opaque and exclusionary, their proposed plan is also gerrymandered, inequitable and unjust. OCAB worked with redistricting experts like Dr. Russell Weaver to propose an alternative plan, which we iterated upon throughout the process because unlike the Common Council, we listened to, and collaborated with, our city's residents.
Their map vs. the People's Map
Review the Plan
Our City Action Buffalo and community researchers worked together to create an alternative plan to the "redrawn" maps adopted by the Buffalo Common Council. The first iteration of the plan received a groundswell of support. But we knew it could be better, and so did you! We’ve listened—at the 6/28 public hearing and beyond—and created an updated plan that incorporated the thoughtful feedback of residents across Buffalo. The revised plan is vastly better than the original because Our City’s residents know best when it comes to redistricting our city!