Term |
Definition |
Average District Population |
Based on the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data, the average population of Broward County Public Schools single School Board member districts is 249,724. |
Compactness |
Geographic areas that are encompassed by boundary lines that are smooth and non-irregular are referred to as being compact. It is not required by Law, but is a Traditional Redistricting Principle that is looked at when creating new single School Board member districts. |
Contiguity |
Geographic areas that are encompassed by boundary lines that are connected are referred to as being contiguous. It is not required by Law, but is a Traditional Redistricting Principle that is looked at when creating new single School Board member districts. |
Density |
The distribution of a quantity such as a population within a space. |
Diversity |
The inclusion of different types of people of different races and ethnicities in a group. |
Elected Official |
Nine School Board members are elected by the public to represent seven single School Board member districts. Two of the nine School Board members are elected to represent the county at large. |
Equal Population |
While absolute equality in population is the standard, the Court has recognized acceptable deviations. The standard “gross deviation” is 10%. This would permit a +5% or -5% deviation of the ideal district size. |
Gerrymandering |
To establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts. The resulting district is known as a gerrymander. |
High School Innovation Zone(s) |
Innovation Zones are feeder elementary, middle, high and center schools that allow collaborative communication. |
Redistricting (Apportionment or Reapportionment) |
The process by which elected seats are distributed among populations for representation; determination of the number of representatives that a state, county, or other subdivision may send to a legislative body. Districting is the establishment of the precise geographical boundaries of each such unit or constituency.
Apportionment is related to, but is not the same as, the electoral system and the districting process: apportionment is the manner in which representation is distributed; the electoral system is the way an individual representative is elected; and the districting process establishes the precise electoral boundaries of a representative's district. |
Retrogression |
The weakening of the ability of minority groups to elect lawmakers of their choice. |
Traditional Redistricting Principles |
Although not required by Law, some traditional guiding principles may also be considered when drawing new districts. They are:
- Compactness
- Contiguity
- Preservation of counties and other political subdivisions
- Preservation of communities of interest
- Preservation of cores of prior districts
- Incumbency
|
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
( 42 U.S.C. §§ 1973 – 1973aa-6 ) is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S.
The Act prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." |
Voting Tabulated District (VTD) |
Voting Tabulated District is a term adopted by the Bureau of the Census to include the wide variety of small polling areas, such as election districts, precincts, or wards that State and local governments create for the purpose of administering elections. Some States also use groupings of these entities to define their State and local legislative districts, as well as the districts they define for election of members to the U.S. House of Representatives. In a nationwide cooperative program for the 1980 census, the Census Bureau gave States the opportunity to request use of these election precinct boundaries as the boundaries of census enumeration districts (EDs) or, in some areas, census blocks. The Census Bureau began using the term voting districts as it began planning for the 1990 census. |
