• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Political redistricting to be discussed at Lunch with League

Posted at 9:32 am April 6, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Debby Gould

Political redistricting will be discussed at Lunch with the League in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, April 20.

The virtual meeting is scheduled to start at noon April 20. It is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

The featured speaker will be Debby Gould, first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee.

She will “share information on the League’s efforts to facilitate fair and equitable redistricting in our state and nation through its People Powered Fair Maps national redistricting program, which aims to create fair political maps nationwide in all 50 states and the District of Columbia,” a press release said.

In addition to being first vice president, Gould is president-elect and the current advocacy chair for the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, the press release said. Previously, she was president of LWV Nashville and a long-time committed LWV volunteer.

“Her work career at the Nashville Public Education Foundation and later with the Peabody Research Institute of Vanderbilt University has prepared her to focus on public policies that have direct impact on communities,” the press release said.

Advertisement

Two Supreme Court rulings since redistricting in 2010 make the heightened focus on fairness during this year’s current redistricting efforts particularly critical, the release said.

“The 2013 Court decision dismantled the formula targeting states and localities with a history of voting discrimination for special federal oversight, thus weakening the protection of vulnerable population groups from discriminatory barriers to voting,” the press release said. “The June 2019 ruling in Rucho v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina further found that no fair test exists for courts to determine when partisan gerrymandering has gone too far. Concerned that federal courts will be hands-off in the current redistricting process, the League, therefore, launched People Powered Fair Maps to create fair and transparent, people-powered redistricting processes that eliminate partisan and racial gerrymandering nationwide.”

In her Lunch with the League presentation this month, Gould will review the League’s 2-year efforts in Tennessee and nationwide, the press release said. Drawing attention to the several pieces of legislation on redistricting that have made their appearance during this session of the Tennessee Legislature, she will address two bills in particular: SB0003/HB0971, which speaks to the issues of fair maps, and SB0957/HB1557, which provides for independent redistricting commissions.

“Both bills are critical,” the press release said.

“The impact of the redistricting decisions made in Tennessee during the next year cannot be overstated,” Gould said in the press release. “The lines drawn will literally determine the future landscape of political decisions on the federal, state, and local levels for the next 10 years. As League members, we need understand how we can be well informed and engaged in the process of redistricting as it unfolds in Tennessee.”

You don’t have to be a member of League of Women Voters to attend the April 20 virtual presentation. Members will automatically receive a link to the live presentation. Nonmembers should contact [email protected] to request the link. A couple of days after the presentation, you may view the recorded session on the League’s website at https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge.

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Government Tagged With: Debby Gould, League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League, political redistricting, redistricting

Advertisements


 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Community News

DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

U.S. Department of Energy public bus tours have resumed in Oak Ridge after a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tours began running again on July 11, and they are scheduled to continue through … [Read More...]

Learn why bugs are good

Submitted Every bug has a purpose. Did you know that very few caterpillars reach their mature size because birds gobble them down? It is estimated that one pair of chickadees must find 6,000 caterpillars to feed one … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge has July 4 concert, fireworks

The annual July 4 concert and fireworks show is in Oak Ridge this evening. The Independence Day fireworks display will be held in Alvin K. Bissell Park on Monday, July 4, and it is scheduled to begin at dark, around … [Read More...]

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Experience world cultures at Children’s Museum International Festival

Flamenco, Irish, and Greek dancers will be among entertainers at the International Festival on Saturday, February 26, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. A special guest from Ireland, musician and singer Fionan Casey, … [Read More...]

More Community

More Government News

Luminarias to feature peace messages

Luminarias with peace messages will be lit this year to remember and acknowledge the atomic bombings of Japan in August 1945, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park said. A luminaria is a lantern with a candle … [Read More...]

Repairs set for S. Illinois Ave. this week

The City of Oak Ridge Public Works Department will be making asphalt repairs to South Illinois Avenue this week, weather permitting, a press release said. The work will be in the northbound lanes across from Badger … [Read More...]

City of Oak Ridge Seal

Horizon Center power, airport update, mercury storage on Council agenda

An airport update, potential comments about mercury storage, and an overview of a proposed 69-kilovolt electrical line for the TRISO-X project at Horizon Center are on the agenda for an Oak Ridge City Council work … [Read More...]

Planning Commission to consider rezoning for nuclear fuel fabrication

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday will consider rezoning 110 acres at Horizon Center for a nuclear fuel fabrication company. The property (Lot 6a) has been purchased from the Oak Ridge Industrial … [Read More...]

Repairs planned for gravel section of Tuskegee Road

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department will conduct road repairs to the gravel section of Tuskegee Road from Tuesday, July 19 to Friday, July 22, weather permitting, a press release said. The work will require sections … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • ORAU launches new app with a variety of resources available, including hundreds of STEM internships, fellowships and research opportunities
  • Disposing of uranium waste could cost at least $7.2 billion
  • Y-12 now getting power from Pine Ridge substation
  • Man sentenced to 8 years after fleeing, crashing, attempting carjackings
  • Three Ohio residents die in two-vehicle crash
  • DOE picks Idaho for nuclear test reactor
  • TBI investigating man’s death
  • Luminarias to feature peace messages
  • Oak Ridge tennis court dance is Thursday
  • DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today