DATA and TECHNOLOGY

Listen: 3 Minute Summary of Court Ruling on Trump Administrations Apportionment Count Method

By EditorSep 12, 2020

NPR's "All Things Considered" explains the recent New York federal district court ruling involving the apportionment count. It is one of several lawsuits seeking to enjoin the president from requiring the Census Bureau to report an estimate of the number of illegal immigrants in each state for the purpose of using that info to apportion House seats in the U.S. Congress. A presidential memorandum seeks to adjust state total population counts used for apportionment, to exclude residents who are in the country illegally. NPR - All Things Considered. Sept. 10, 2020 (link)

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, NEWSaudio

Here’s the Status of the 2020 Census. So Far . . .

By EditorSep 12, 2020

Need a quick explanation on whats going on with the census? wondering if it will be delayed, extended or or cut short? Listen to Jeffrey Wice, an adjunct professor and senior fellow at New York Law School and head of the school’s New York Census and Redistricting Institute - explain what we know up to this point. But remember, things may be changing as you read this. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2020/09/09/census-count-update#

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, NEWScensus, census 2020, new york

Watch: A Mathematical Measurement of Partisan Gerrymandering

By Michelle DavisFeb 05, 2019

. Researchers at Duke University do a good job explaining their quantitative analysis of North Carolina’s congressional redistricting maps in lay terms. In this video they present fairly solid statistical proof that partisan gerrymandering indeed can be sniffed out by statistical algorithms that show when a map is the result of intentional and precise human design, and not mere adjustment of the boundaries that are already there. Of course, this only proves that partisan gerrymandering exists, and it is a helpful measure of the stark differences in the election results between a map drawn with precise political motivations versus on…

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, LATEST, NEWS, Partisan Gerrymandering, Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, VIDEOdataindepth, partisan gerrymandering, VIDEO

Federal Court Rejects a Citizenship Question for the 2020 Census

By EditorJan 15, 2019

A New York federal district court has rejected the administration's bid to place a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census. The U.S. Department of Commerce, which is the main defendant in the lawsuit, will most likely appeal this decision but this just deepens the legal, financial and operational challenges that the Census Bureau must endure just under 15 months away from the 2020 census, the data from which, states and local governments will use to redraw electoral lines. NPR lists the possible effects that the current government shutdown and this lawsuit will have on census 2020 planning here. Read…

Census Data and Geography, DATA and TECHNOLOGY, LATEST, LAW, NEWS, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, Strategy and Politicscensus, census 2020, citizenship question, commerce, lpother, new york, U.S. Census Bureau

Concerns about the Cyber-Security of the 2020 Census Elevate

By EditorJul 24, 2018

The Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at the Georgetown University Law Center has sent a signed letter to the Secretary of Commerce and the Acting Directer of the U.S. Census Bureau requesting assurances that the upcoming decennial census will be accurate and secure given heightened threats in the cyber-security environment. (more…)

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, Redistricting2020, census, cyber-security, Redistricting News, U.S. Census Bureau

Olsen’s Algorithm: Computerized Redistricting for Maximum Compactness

By EditorJan 21, 2016

This Washington Post article suggests that "compactness" trumps everything else in redistricting. It gives better outcomes than drawing lines around communities of interest and it beats the network of voting rights laws on the book. Take a look at what maps would look like if they were drawn for optimal compactness. Read more.

DATA and TECHNOLOGY, Redistricting Criteriacompactness, computerized, processid, redistricting