Appointed to Senate districting committee, Sen. Akbari pledges her commitment to fair maps

Memphis lawmaker says she will oppose any effort to minimize the influence of underserved communities

MEMPHIS — Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) was named co-vice chair of a special Senate committee tasked with drawing new political boundaries in Tennessee.

Senate Speaker Randy McNally named both Sen. Akbari and minority leader Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) to the committee this week.

Community districting, also called reapportionment and redistricting, happens every 10 years after federal census officials release the population of counties, cities and towns nationwide.

The primary purpose of districting is to even the number of people in political districts, such as the U.S. House of Representatives and the Tennessee General Assemby.

Sen. Akbari says it’s also an opportunity to ensure that elected officials are responsive to and reflective of the communities they represent.

“We want the General Assembly to approve fair maps that keep our communities whole. Speaker McNally’s committee on districting is a step toward achieving that goal,” Sen. Akbari said. “We plan to push for an open and transparent process that engages with the public for feedback as much as possible and we will aggressively call out any attempt to minimize the influence of voters in underserved communities.”