FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Samantha Weiser, Chair
(401) 284-7439
Email: RIDWomensCaucus@gmail.com
RI Democratic Women's Caucus Call for Fair and Representative Redistricting Process
[August 31, 2021, PROVIDENCE, RI] - On August 24th at the Rhode Island Women’s Caucus General Meeting, the Caucus membership voted to express our concern with the state redistricting process and to affirm that we expect this process to be fair and representative. The selection of members of the redistricting commission raised our concern. The appointment of so-called “civilian” representation was not done in the spirit of the intention. For instance, by appointing former legislators, we now have a commission responsible for drawing the borders of districts their constituents elected to remove them from, in one member’s case, less than a term ago. Further, though House Speaker Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio promised a more open process this year, they still hired controversial consultant Kimball Brace. He is locally famous for testifying in favor of a State Senate map ruled unconstitutional in 1982--a scandal so egregious as to delay the State Senate elections that year to 1983. This does not represent a commitment to an open and fair process. The Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus will be closely monitoring this process as it develops. If necessary, we will mobilize our membership of 650+ Rhode Island Democrats, should the outcomes from the commission prompt us. The redistricting process must be conducted democratically, unfettered by those in power playing politics with the Democratic right to vote in free and fair elections.