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Every 10 years, after the federal census, California and most other states redraw the lines of various electoral districts to attempt to ensure the districts are fair and have roughly equal population. California uses a system written in Ruby for citizens to apply to become redistricting commissioners, and for review of the submitted applications. Come learn about redistricting and the unique design of the California redistricting commissioner application system, with 12 separate web server process types, isolated networks, 3-factor authentication, and other security features.
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In this presentation titled "Helping Redistrict California with Ruby," Jeremy Evans discusses the redistricting process in California, focusing on the systems he developed using Ruby to manage the application process for the Citizens Redistricting Commission. - **Introduction to Redistricting**: Redistricting is the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries to reflect population changes, ensuring equal representation. In California, it was historically conducted by elected officials until the 2008 proposition established the Citizens Redistricting Commission, appointed by the California State Auditor. - **Initial System Development**: In 2009, with limited time and budget, Evans created an automated system to handle the application process for the Citizens Redistricting Commission. He explained the two-tier application process, consisting of a quick initial application and a more comprehensive supplemental application, which included extensive background information. - **Challenges and Solutions**: He outlined the challenges of developing the system on obsolete hardware and using outdated libraries. The system ultimately utilized Ruby with Sinatra as the web framework. Audit logging emerged as a critical feature, which improved accountability and transparency. - **2010 vs 2020 Systems**: The system for the 2010 redistricting was seen as a success, but issues prompted a retrospective as a prototype for the newer 2020 system. The latter was designed to automate tasks and included enhanced features for better demographic data handling and security improvements, such as three-factor authentication. - **Lessons Learned**: A key takeaway was the emphasis on thorough testing and documentation in the development process. The 2020 system demonstrated improvements in accessibility and security measures compared to its predecessor. Additionally, the aim for continuous maintenance and updates ensures that the system evolves with each new redistricting cycle. - **Future Directions**: Evans concluded with a brief overview of upcoming enhancements for the 2030 redistricting process, focusing on further increasing security measures and streamlining operations based on insights gained from the earlier systems. Overall, Evans illustrated how Ruby has facilitated and improved the redistricting application processes in California, underscoring the importance of technological advancements in public sector transparency and efficiency.
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