George Mason University
To provide updated software, data, and education that facilitate public participation in the redistricting of New York State
This grant provides funds for a project by George Mason University to facilitate use of District Builder, a free, open-source software platform that allows citizens to draw, share, and submit their own congressional redistricting maps, in New York State. Partnering with New York's Fordham University, the George Mason team will further develop and improve the District Builder platform, populate it with relevant demographic and legal data specific to New York, launch and maintain a public website to host the District Builder platform aimed at New York residents, and engage in a series of educational and outreach initiatives, including a Fordham-sponsored competition that will encourage students to submit redistricting maps drawn using District Builder and have their submissions ranked against a set of objective, measurable criteria, with the winning map to be submitted to the New York State legislature for consideration in its redistricting decisions.