Watch this virtual briefing by the bureau last week on what exactly is taking so long with the redistricting data that states need to complete maps. Redistricting data will be delayed at least six months until Sep. 30. James Whitehorne, Chief of the Census Redistricting & Voting Rights Data Office at the Census Bureau, briefed state officials during this meeting hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The meeting begins with a short update on the status of H.R. 1, a sweeping election reform bill currently moving through Congress that would impose dramatic structural changes to the congressional redistricting process in the states, including requiring nearly every state to form a citizen commission to establish districts in 2021. Read more about H.R. 1 here.
Whitehorne details the backend operations the bureau conducts to produce state redistricting data and how pandemic delays have affected that process. Differential privacy is briefly discussed as well as how some states are adjusting statutory and constitutional timelines to accomodate the six-month delay. View the meeting slides here.
