The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) offers an engaging look at how its decades-long partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau reshaped the way America draws political boundaries. The article, “How NCSL and the Census Bureau Modernized Redistricting,” traces the evolution of that collaboration back to the 1970s, when the chaotic patchwork of state redistricting practices prompted Congress to pass Public Law 94-171. The law required the Census Bureau to deliver population data tailored to state district maps within a year of each census, laying the foundation for the precise, data-driven redistricting process used today. Through behind-the-scenes negotiations and technical innovation, NCSL’s early leaders and legislative staffers helped align federal census data with state mapping needs, transforming a once-fragmented system into a coordinated national framework. Readers will discover how a few dedicated state officials and data specialists quietly revolutionized the mechanics of representative democracy. Read the article here.
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