Michelle Davis

This Online Map Tool Identifies the Impact of Census Data Delays in Every State

By Michelle DavisMar 19, 2021

Use this super handy map of the U.S. to browse which states are in the most trouble when it comes to delayed census redistricting data. Developed by the Electoral Innovation Lab at the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, this interactive map helps us to easily identify at least 11 states in the hot seat as of today. State staffers who would like to monitor possible responses to the data delay can use this map to identify similarly situated states. The lab plans to update the map as states make adjustments to their timelines or if the census timeline changes. From the Princeton…

Census Data and Geography, DATA and TECHNOLOGY, FEATURES, LATEST, Redistricting, Redistricting Prepdataindepth, national

U.S. Census Bureau Suggests Possibility of Redistricting Data in August, but with a catch.

By Michelle DavisMar 16, 2021

In a recent court filing and press release, the U.S. Census Bureau appears to be open to the possibility of delivering untabulated data by mid to late August to requesting states if they take the responsibility for reporting the data accurately. In its litigation in federal court in Ohio, which sued the Bureau for missing its statutory deadline to provide redistricting data to states - the Bureau filed a declaration explaining in detail its operational limitations for delivering the data files before the Sept 30 deadline it announced weeks ago. In doing so, it acknowledged that it was physically possible…

Census Data and Geography, DATA and TECHNOLOGY, LATEST, Redistrictingdataindepth, national

CA Redistricting Commission Reviewing Applications for Litigation Team and Voting Rights Counsel

By Michelle DavisFeb 17, 2021

The voting rights act counsel would provide legal support to the Commission, staff and consultants regarding the redistricting process, including the review of proposed district maps; development, use and analysis of Racially Polarized Voting (“RPV”) data, preparation of legal memoranda and general legal advice to the Commission. The commission is also seeking a litigation team in the event that any or all of its redistricting maps (Congressional, and State Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization) are challenged in state or federal court. To that end, the commission is seeking is seeking “statements of qualifications” (SOQ) from attorneys, including law firms…

NEWS, Redistricting, Redistricting Commissions, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting PrepCalifornia, commission, policyindepth, STATENEWS

Is Major Redistricting Reform From Congress On the Way? A Look at H.R. 1

By Michelle DavisFeb 17, 2021

Congress has made redistricting reform in 2021 a top priority. To that end H.R.1 (S.1) was introduced in the current congress and is poised to establish major election reforms should it pass. Nested within H.R. 1 is “subtitle E”, or the “Redistricting Reform Act of 2021.” The Brennan Center for Justice explains that the purpose of the Act is to combat racial injustice and partisan influence in the redrawing of congressional districts. Regardless of one’s policy position on the Act, all can agree that the legislation is a dramatic change from the redistricting status quo. Despite this fact, not many…

FEATURES, LATEST, Official Redistricting Entities, Partisan Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Commissions, Redistricting Gerrymanders, REFORMAnalysis, HR1, lawindepth, lpother, national, redistricting reform, reform

A Look at the New Redistricting Process in New York

By Michelle DavisSep 15, 2020

2021 will be the first time New York conducts redistricting under a new regime. In 2014, as part of a political compromise between the legislature and governor, a constitutional amendment was proposed and eventually approved by voters that establish a redistricting advisory commission, new redistricting criteria, and other rules to increase fairness and participation in the redistricting process. Here is a summary of the process. Redistricting Commission: The amendment creates a 10-member commission, eight of whom are chosen by legislative leaders (speaker, senate president and the minority leaders in each house). Four members are chosen from the majority party and…

FEATURES, Official Redistricting Entities, Redistricting, Redistricting Commissionscommission, new york, policyindepth, reform, STATENEWS, States

Video: New York Legislators Hold Public Hearing on Redistricting

By Michelle DavisSep 14, 2020

Hoping to grapple with an untenable confluence of logistical realities, the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment held this hearing in July to deal with possible delayed census results, early 2022 primaries, and new redistricting rules. The full video of that July 15 virtual public hearing is below. The legislature will be grappling with an entirely new process for redistricting in accordance with a 2014 constitutional amendment that made significant changes to the state's redistricting process, including the creation of a redistricting commission. Several reform, advocacy and public interest groups testified at the hearing including the League of…

NEWS, POLICY and PRACTICE, VIDEOLATFOR, new york, policyindepth, STATENEWS

Washington State Data Office: Privacy Protected Census Data it Sampled is “Unfit” to Use

By Michelle DavisSep 14, 2020

"The majority of the data output from the DAS [disclosure avoidance system] appears to be unfit for most uses." Is how a letter to the Census Bureau's Disclosure Avoidance Team starts off. The letter, from the Washington State Office of Financial Management, which runs the state data center, sums up the results of the state's usability test of census data treated with a disclosure avoidance technique called "differential privacy," which introduces "statistical noise" into the dataset in order to maintain the privacy of individual data. Sampling the Technique: If you are unfamiliar with the technique you can read more about…

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, LATEST, NEWS, Redistrictingcensus, census 2020, dataindepth, differential privacy, U.S. Census Bureau

NY Federal Court Enjoins Presidential Order to Remove Illegal Immigrants from Apportionment Count

By Michelle DavisSep 11, 2020

A federal court panel is the first to decide on whether the president's memorandum directing the U.S. Census Bureau to report the estimated number of “aliens who are not in a lawful immigration status” is unlawful. The memo's stated purpose is to subtract this estimate from the total population in each state - the number that is historically used to apportion congressional seats among the states. Read the opinion here. Officials Enjoined: The court enjoined all of the officials who were party to the lawsuit from reporting the estimate in the official apportionment report. The court did acknowledge, however, that…

Census Law, LATEST, LAW, Redistrictingapportionment, census, census 2020, lawindepth, new york, U.S. Census Bureau

Video: California Commission Holds First Meeting. Discusses Census Delays and Accuracy

By Michelle DavisSep 09, 2020

The 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission has recently formed and sworn in all 14 of its members. Below is a clip from the first full meeting on August 26th. The entire virtual meeting is over five hours long with mostly procedural issues discussed in the first several hours. The clip below is the final 90 minutes, in which commission members were briefed on possible census delays, and a recent court decision extending the commission's deadlines for maps. Members also discussed whether to compose an amicus brief or letter of support in a recent lawsuit against the Census Bureau's plan to…

NEWS, Official Redistricting Entities, POLICY and PRACTICE, Redistricting Commissions, VIDEOCalifornia, commission, States

What Does Differential Privacy in Census Data Mean for the Task of Redistricting?

By Michelle DavisSep 08, 2020

The law requires that any identifying information you give the Census Bureau be kept confidential for 75 yrs, but simply removing your information from what is published is no longer enough. Big data and powerful computing technology now allow almost anyone to "reconstruct" the seemingly anonymized information. That means it is increasingly possible to identify who you are, where you live, and other information from the census results. Here's how the Census Bureau plans to combat that. New for the 2020 census, the U.S. Census Bureau will be using a process called differential privacy to inject "statistical noise" into the…

Census Data and Geography, FEATURES, Redistricting, Redistricting PrepAnalysis, census, census 2020, dataindepth, differential privacy, U.S. Census Bureau