The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is urging the LGBT community to vote “YES” on Amendments 5 and 6 in the upcoming General Election to be held on November 2. (Early voting has already started.) These two amendments pertain to redistricting the state of Florida.

The truth is redistricting is critical in shaping policies that directly affect LGBT people. Conducted once every 10 years, redistricting — the process of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries to reflect population changes — is critical in determining the makeup of our country’s governing bodies. And the degree of support and opposition to LGBT-related legislation will be determined by the redrawing of district lines.

“Basically, if we are not involved, we let our elected officials choose their voters … and that’s not how democracy is supposed to work,” said the NGLTF in a written release. “Redistricting matters because it is the single most important factor in determining whether a Republican or a Democrat is likely to be elected in a particular district.”