Former President Barack Obama announced his intention to get involved with the 2020 election by working to reform gerrymandering through “Redistricting U,” a program launched by campaign initiative All on the Line.
All on the Line describes itself as a “national campaign to restore fairness to our democracy and ensure every American has an equal say in our government.” It was launched after the merger of President Obama’s political group Organizing for Action and Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee in February.
“The integration of OFA with NDRC, into our redistricting effort, is going to help us have activists all over the country who are fighting for fair maps and more representative democracy,” Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said of the merger. “The integration of OFA with NDRC is an organizational action, and it’s really just designed to effectuate that which OFA has always stood for, which is to engage citizens at the local level.”
The announcement of Restricting U training is the latest effort by Holder and Obama to make serious changes to gerrymandering ahead of the 2020 election.
“Training is at the heart of organizing. It’s why I’ve always made it a priority – from my 2008 campaign until now. And it’s why I’m proud to announce @allontheline’s in-person training initiative, Redistricting U. Join us,” Obama tweeted on Monday.
Training is at the heart of organizing. It’s why I’ve always made it a priority – from my 2008 campaign until now. And it’s why I’m proud to announce @allontheline’s in-person training initiative, Redistricting U. Join us: https://t.co/yrWJ50wSdE pic.twitter.com/HiKvGd2XyE
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 26, 2019
A statement on the “All on the Line” website described the mission of Redistricting U as “sending dedicated trainers to cities across the country to train volunteers, give them the tools to impact the redistricting process in their state, hear from them on how to best make change in their communities, and empower them to be leaders in the movement for fair maps.”
