Reapportionment Explained in a 2 Minute Video
The U.S. Census Bureau explains the reapportionment process which occurs every decade. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUCnb5_HZc0
Debating the Voting Rights Act (VIDEO)
Nicole Austin-Hillery, Brennan Center for Justice and Hans A. Von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation square off on the question on CSPAN. Watch here.
Two Congresswomen on the Early Prospects of the VRAA in Congress (VIDEO)
June 2014 - Rep. Sanchez and Rep Fudge discuss the prospects of the VRAA advancing in congress. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKURYbThQOs
How Shelby County v. Holder Will Affect the Latino Community (VIDEO)
Tom Saenz of MALDEF explains at this Brookings Institution Conference. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TVNTfjmRSU
Handy Outline of the Supreme Court’s Shelby Opinions
The New York Times gives this handy outline of each justice's opinion and reasoning in the seminal Voting Rights case Shelby v. Holder. Read it here.
Democrat Strategy for Passing the VRAA
January, 2015 - The Hattiesburg American lists several strategies Democrats in congress may use this year to get the Voting Rights Act Amendment Passed. One such strategy includes revising the bill so that it will include Alabama, the state that instigated the Supreme Court's decision to invalidate part of the Act in 2013. Read the article.
Could This “Long Lost” Law Save the Voting Rights Act?
Richard Kreitner writes for Nation on a little used Section of the 14th Amendment, which he proposes should be used to punish voting rights infractions in the states. Read the article here.
Case Filing: Harding v. County of Dallas, Texas
In January, Anglo voters in Dallas County represented by the Equal Voting Rights Institute filed a minority vote dilution claim against the majority minority County Commissioners Court's 2010 redistricting map, which it describes as "dilut[ing] the overall influence of the Anglo minority in Dallas so that, even if cross-over voting allowed an Anglo preferred candidate to win the County Judgeship, Anglos could not obtain control of the Commissioners Court. It did so, even though it meant dividing political subdivisions, and exaggerating the population disparities between CCDs (whether measured by total population or by CVAP) far beyond the ideal distribution." Read…
Case Filing: Patino v. City of Pasadena
Voters represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund filed suit this past November claiming minority vote dilution against the City of Pasadena, Texas. At issue is a change in the voting procedures for the eight member city council. Voters in the city recently passed a proposition to change from eight single member districts to a hybrid system of six single member districts and two at-large seats. Plaintiffs claim that this "will reduce Hispanic voting strength and will impede Hispanic voters’ ability to elect candidates of choice in subsequent in Pasadena City Council elections." Read the Complaint here.
Santa Fe Looking for a Few Good Geographers
The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico is looking for citizens to fill the seven spots on its Citizens' Redistricting Commission. The body will be in charge of redrawing Santa Fe's city council districts. The city is looking for a geographer or cartographer to sit on the commission to help with the challenge of redrawing political boundaries after a recent annexation. Read local coverage here.