RepresentUs, a nonprofit advocacy group, released an online app and 160-page Gerrymandering Threat Index report which measures each state’s risk level for gerrymandering activity during the 2020 redistricting cycle. By its measure, 35 states have an extreme or high threat of gerrymandering or 70% of the nation, including over 188 million Americans.
The index measures a state’s likelihood that it will enact “gerrymandered” maps based on several factors including whether politicians draw maps, how transparent the process is, the robustness of legal criteria, the likelihood of partisan line-drawing, and how difficult maps are to challenge in court. Browse the risk info for your state here.
So, you may be wondering – what are the top five states according to the threat index? In order of severity, they are: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, and Illinois. States with independent citizen redistricting commissions such as California, Colorado, Idaho and Washington state, round out the list with “minimal” risk of gerrymandering.
RepresentUs, is a nonprofit advocacy group that describes itself as a movement of independents, progressives, and conservatives pursuing federal reform (including anti-gerrymandering) through the states.
