From ambulances to ballots: using GIS emergency data to map voting districts

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

In 2012, Pierce County government needed to complete a major redistricting project in record time and with limited resources. The new districts and changes to state law required Pierce County to completely redraw all voting precincts around 154 federal, state and local election district boundaries. A shortened election season meant that Pierce County had only five weeks to draw and submit the precinct plan for final approval.Election staff saw an opportunity to streamline the entire redistricting process so voters could automatically be assigned to the correct precinct. The solution: integrate data from the County’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and the E911 address database used by ambulances and sheriff deputies to dispatch calls with the DIMS voter registration system. GIS processes originally used to map emergency calls to street addresses were redesigned to assign voters to the correct precincts.The massive project was completed under an aggressive deadline. But perhaps the greatest success is how Pierce County successfully automated the districting process and created a framework for assigning new voters to the right precincts. By integrating GIS and voter data, Pierce County has streamlined many processes to ensure accurate and equitable elections with existing staff and resources.