photo by: Ashley Golledge

This 2020 sign at the Carnegie Building encourages Lawrence residents to vote.

An upcoming community forum aims to provide information and answer questions about current voting legislation and the ongoing congressional redistricting process.

Jamie Shew, the Douglas County clerk and election officer, and Melissa Stiehler, advocacy director for Loud Light, will host the Voting Rights Forum on Sunday. The forum will cover current local, state and national voting rights legislation and redistricting efforts, according to an event announcement.

The announcement states that the forum will also cover other states’ responses to similar laws, Kansas’ democratic history and what can be done to maintain voting rights for all eligible citizens. Attendees, who may attend in person or virtually, can ask questions as part of a Q&A portion of the forum.

Top Republicans pushed their congressional redistricting plan through the GOP-dominated Kansas Legislature on Wednesday, as the Associated Press reported. The bill, which has gone to the governor’s desk, would split the Kansas City area into two congressional districts and move Lawrence into a district with far more conservative central and western Kansas communities. Democrats have strongly criticized the plan as partisan gerrymandering.

The Voting Rights Forum will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont St. The public may also participate online on Plymouth’s Facebook page, where the forum will be streamed via Facebook Live.