Monthly Redistricting Update: November 2020

By EditorDec 01, 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau was the main focus for redistricting news in November and it did not disappoint. The Bureau casually and cryptically announced an unspecified delay in its post-processing of census data due to "processing anomalies;" a major development considering the outgoing Trump administration is relying on timely delivery of apportionment numbers. The Bureau's census data was also at the heart of oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 30. Read the updates below. News Census Bureau Director Says “Processing Anomalies” will Delay Census Data Release Schedule (Privacy) Invariants Set for 2020 Census Data Products Listen: Supreme…

Monthly Redistricting Update, NEWSapportionment, census, census 2020, U.S. Census Bureau

Listen: Supreme Court Oral Argument in Trump Apportionment / Citizenship Case

By EditorDec 01, 2020

On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Trump v. New York. This case challenged an executive memo directing the Census Bureau to report official congressional apportionment data so that it excludes the count of non-citizens. For an in-depth analysis of the arguments, read SCOTUSBlog.com's report. Most expert observers say the court seemed preoccupied with the "ripeness" of the issue, or in layman's parlance - whether or not the administration has done anything yet that could possibly violate a statute or the constitution. Listen to the audio below. https://youtu.be/ePChyVCpI6A

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(Privacy) Invariants Set for 2020 Census Data Products

By EditorNov 28, 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau has determined the specific files within the redistricting data release that will not be altered for privacy purposes. Or in other words, which files will have 100% true totals. They are Total state population, total housing units by census block, and group facilities by census block. For more on the Bureau's disclosure avoidance (differential privacy) program, click here. Read the entire announcement below for additional details. Invariants Set for 2020 Census Data ProductsOn November 24th, the Census Bureau’s Data Stewardship Executive Policy Committee (DSEP) finalized the list of “invariants” for the first set of 2020 Census…

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, NEWScensus, census 2020, dataindepth, differential privacy, disclosure avoidance, national, U.S. Census Bureau

Census Bureau Director Says “Processing Anomalies” will Delay Census Data Release Schedule

By EditorNov 20, 2020

On November 19th the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau released a short statement acknowledging "certain processing anomalies" in the decennial census data collected earlier this year. While the director did point out that "processing anomalies" have been encountered in previous censuses, no further detail was given to put the current anomalies in context. According to the New York Times, the new deadline for delivering congressional apportionment data to the president is on or about January 26. The statutory deadline is Dec. 31. Just what is a "processing anomaly"? An answer is difficult to come by from the Bureau, but…

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, NEWS, Redistricting Prepcensus, census 2020, dataindepth, national, U.S. Census Bureau

Monthly Redistricting Update: October 2020

By EditorNov 01, 2020

Its November 1st and here is what happened on the redistricting front in October. The big news is still the litigation surrounding census operations and how the data will be presented. The Supreme Court made two decisive moves in October; first, it overruled a lower CA federal court to allow the Census Bureau to stop counting operations early; Second, it has agreed to hear oral arguments in the lawsuit over how the apportionment numbers will be tallied. Since the last update, the court has gained a ninth member, upping the unpredictability factor. Miss any of this? Read the updates below.…

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Commission Meeting Video: CA Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission

By EditorOct 31, 2020

The 14-member California Citizens Redistricting Commission was established in 2008 by a citizen's initiative. It is responsible for redrawing the state's congressional, legislative, and Board of Equalization districts (BOE). Watch commission meetings here. Commission Selection Process: The commission includes 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 members who are unaffiliated with any party. The selection process is coordinated by the State Auditors Office and involves, background screening and an applicant review panel, which selects the most qualified applicants. The legislative leaders may reduce the Auditor's pool of qualified applicants before the State Auditor randomly selects 8 candidates from the remaining pool.…

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Commission Meeting Video: Santa Barbara County Citizens Independent Redistricting Comm.

By EditorOct 31, 2020

The County's Independent Redistricting Commission consists of 11 county residents who are not elected officials, city staff, lobbyists, candidates, campaign donors, or their close family members. Consideration is also given to the goal of having a commission that reflects the diversity of Santa Barbara County. The commission must provide an open and transparent process that enables full public consideration and comment on the drawing of district lines. View the commission meetings here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu3FTBN0w-M&list=PL8SyQGix1i-UwlM5AyuSBomdr6e1B9nVT Resources Commission website California Redistricting Info California Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Meeting Video California Local Redistricting News

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CA Federal Court Panel Invalidates Presidential Order to Exclude “Illegal Aliens” from Apportionment Count

By EditorOct 26, 2020

On Thursday (Oct. 22) a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Jose Division) issued a final order and opinion invalidating the president's July memorandum that ordered census apportionment numbers exclude undocumented immigrants. A copy of the opinion is here. A federal district court in New York was the first to invalidate the July memorandum in September. That case has been scheduled for oral argument before the Supreme Court on November 30th. The San Jose court declared the presidential memorandum a "violation of the Apportionment and Enumeration Clauses of Article I, Section 2…

Case Updates, Census Law, LATEST, LAW, NEWS, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigationapportionment, census, census 2020, legal, U.S. Census Bureau

Redistricting Basics: The Legal Test for Minority Vote Dilution Under the Voting Rights Act

By EditorOct 25, 2020

This article is an overview of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the legal test to determine how a plaintiff can prove a minority vote dilution claim under the act against a redistricting map. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was enacted in direct response to the unapologetic disenfranchisement of minority voters, particularly in the South. Government-supported attempts to keep minorities from the polls were pursued both out in the open as well as surreptitiously. These practices included poll taxes, literacy tests, restrictive and arbitrary registration practices, white primaries, the threat of violence, actual violence, and ballot…

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Panel Discussion: What Are “Communities of Interest” and How Will They Affect Redistricting in Michigan?

By EditorOct 24, 2020

For a discussion on how Michigan has approached the principle of communities of interest and what this portends for the new redistricting commission, watch panelists Jocelyn Benson, Connie Malloy, Chris Lamar, Christopher Thomas, & moderator Nancy Wang discuss Michigan's approach to redistricting via an Independent Citizens Commission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kiEVY2Z4w&feature=emb_logo

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