The 21st and 23rd Congressional Districts cover Kern County.
That means people are either represented by Kevin McCarthy or David Valadao.
Tonight, we're going in-depth on state efforts to redistrict based on the latest census data and how that could impact who you vote for in the next election.
KERN COUNTY.THAT MEANS PEOPLE ARE EITHERREPRESENTED BYKEVIN MCCARTHY OR DAVID VALADAO.TONIGHT-- WE'RE GOING IN-DEPTHON STATE EFFORTS TOREDISTRICT BASED ON THE LATESTCENSUS DATA-- AND HOWTHAT COULD IMPACT WHO YOU VOTEFOR IN THE NEXT ELECTION.WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A SECOND--BUT FIRST-- LET'SEXAMINE WHERE OUR CONGRESSIONALDISTRICTS FALLRIGHT NOW.LET'S START WITH CALIFORNIA'S21ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.DAVID VALADAO REPRESENTS THEAREA YOU SEEN IN DARK PINK UP ONYOUR SCREEN.MOVING SOUTH TO NORTH-- THEDISTRICT COVERS PARTS OFBAKERSFIELD, WASCO, DELANO,COALINGA, LEMOORE ANDHANFORD.NOW LET'S TURN TO DISTRICT 23--IN THE LIGHTER PINK COLOR.THAT'S THE AREA KEVIN MCCARTHYREPRESENTS.THE 23RD DISTRICT INCLUDES THEOTHER HALF OFBAKERSFIELD, AND EXTENDS AS FAREAST TEHACHAPI, CALIFORNIA CITY,AND RIDGECREST.THIS DISTRICT ALSO ENCOMPASSESPORTERVILLE.IN LIGHT OF THE U-S CENSUS,CALIFORNIA'S DISTRICTS WILLSOON BE REDRAWN, OPENING THEPOSSIBILITY OFPEOPLE SEEING SOME IMPORTANTCHANGES ON THE BALLOT NEXTYEAR.23ABC'S AUSTIN WESTFALL JOINS USLIVE FROM NORTHWESTBAKERSFIELD WITH DETAILS ON THEIMPACTS OF REDISTRICTING,AND WHY IT MAY EVEN PLAY IN ROLEIN DECIDING FUTUREELECTIONS.
AUSTIN?WHEN THE MAPS ARE REDRAWN, ALEX,IT MEANS THAT SPECIFICNEIGHBORHOODS MAY FALL INTODIFFERENT DISTRICTS THANTHEY ARE CURRENTLY IN.
IT'S ACOMPLEX PROCESS THATEXPERTS SAY COULD SHIFT THEBALANCE OF RELIABLY RED ORBLUE DISTRICTS."YOU CAN SEE THAT THE DEMOCRATSAREMAKING INROADS IN THE EASTERNPART OF THE COUNTY, IN THESOUTHERN PART OFTHE COUNTY."KERN COUNTY IS KNOWN FOR HAVINGA RELIABLEREPUBLICAN VOTER BASE.
BUT ALOOK AT THE LATEST VOTERREGISTRATION DATA IS PAINTING ADIFFERENT PICTURE."IN KERN COUNTY REPUBLICANS ONLYACCOUNT FOR 37 PERCENTOF REGISTERED VOTERS, ANDDEMOCRATS ARE ONLY A FEWPOINTS BEHIND AT 34 PERCENT."BAKERSFIELD HIGH SCHOOLPOLITICAL SCIENCE TEACHERJEREMY ADAMS EXPLAINING THATKERN COUNTY ISN'T AS RELIABLYRED AS IT ONCE WAS.
THIS MEANSAS THE STATE LOOKS TOREDISTRICT -- LIBERAL ORUNDECIDED VOTERS COULDGET ROPED INTO A RELIABLYREPUBLICAN DISTRICT LIKEHOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVINMCCARTHY'S 23RD DISTRICT."YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY TOO EARLYTO TELL."CALIFORNIA HAS SET A DECEMBER15TH DEADLINE TO DECIDE HOW THESTATE WILL BE REDISTRICTED,ALTHOUGH STATE OFFICIALS HAVESAID THAT COVID-RELATED DELAYSMAY OCCUR.ACCORDING TO THE STATE,REDISTRICTING IS DETERMINED BY ACOMMISSION OF 14 MEMBERS, MADEUP OF FIVE REPUBLICANS,FIVE DEMOCRATS, AND 4 NOTAFFILIATED WITH EITHER OF THOSETWO PARTIES."YOU WANT DISTRICTS DRAWN IN AWAY WHERE VOTERS REALLYHAVE A CHOICE."ULTIMATELY, ADAMS SAYS THECOMMISSION WILL HAVE DONE ITSJOB IF ALL CALIFORNIA DISTRICTSARE DRAWN IN A WAYTHAT DOES NOT FAVOR REPUBLICANSOR DEMOCRATS.EVERY CANDIDATE IN A GIVENDISTRICT SHOULD HAVE A FIGHTINGCHANCE."OUR CONGRESSMAN IS GOING TO BEVERY BUSY IN 2022,BECAUSE THIS DISTRICT ISABSOLUTELY NOT THE SAFE SEAT ITONCE WAS, AND THAT IS EITHER AGOOD THING OR A BAD THINGDEPENDING ON YOUR POLITICS."NOT ONLY ARE REGISTEREDDEMOCRATS BECOMING MOREPREVALENT IN KERN COUNTY BUTOVER ONE IN FIVE IDENTIFY ASHAVING NO PARTY PREFERENCE.
WEREACHED OUT TO REPRESENTATIVEMCCARTHY'S CAMPAIGN FOR COMMENTBUT HAVEN'T HEARDBACK.COMING UP TONIGHT AT 6, WE'LLTALK MORE ABOUT HOWCALIFORNIA WILL BE LOSING ONESEAT IN THE HOUSEACCORDING TO THE NEW U-S CENSUSDATA AND WHEN WE COULDSEE THAT CHANGE TAKE PLACE.IN BAKERSFIELD AUSTIN WESTFALL23ABC CONNECTING YOUTAKING A DEEPER DIVE INTO HOWREDISTRICTING COULD CHANGETHINGS FOR KEVIN MCCARTHY, BASEDON HIS PAST RUNS FOR ELECTEDTAKING A DEEPER DIVE INTO HOWREDISTRICTING COULD CHANGETHINGS FOR KEVIN MCCARTHY, BASEDON HIS PAST RUNS FOR ELECTEDOFFICE, WHICH SHOW A DOWNWARDTREND IN HISVOTES.THE 2011 CENSUS CAUSEDREDISTRICTING-- SWITCHINGMCCARTHY FROM DISTRICT 22 TODISTRICT 23.HIS FIRST RUN IN HIS CURRENTDISTRICT HAPPENED BACKIN 2014.THAT'S WHEN MCCARTHY RAN AGAINSTDEMOCRATICCHALLENGER RAUL GARCIA.MCCARTHY EARNED ABOUT 74 PERCENTOF THE VOTES IN THATRACE.IN 2016-- DEMOCRAT WENDY REEDSTEPPED UP TOCHALLENGE MCCARTHY.MCCARTHY CAME OUT ON TOP WITH 69PERCENT OF THE VOTES.TWO YEARS LATER-- MCCARTHY RANAGAINST ADEMOCRAT TATIANA MATTA.HE WON THAT ELECTION WITH 64PERCENT OF THE VOTES.AND LAST NOVEMBER-- MCCARTHYFACED UP AGAINSTDEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER KIMMANGONE.HE WON ROUGHLY 62 PERCENT OF THEVOTES IN THAT RACE.BOUNDARY CHANGES COULD A