VIDEO: 2021 Local Redistricting Workshop for California Cities & Counties

This is a recording of a local redistricting workshop and hosted by California Common Cause on January 28, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTEOhq4nzfE&list=PLR3tkoUMOQA0jUtxZklPWUULtsZ97iwi4&index=2&t=3005s 2021 Local Redistricting Workshop for California Cities & Counties. (CA Common Cause) Redistricting basics (Kathay Feng from Common Cause)- Public Engagement and New Legal Requirements (Nicolas Heidorn from the California Senate Elections Committee, Jonathan Mehta Stein from California Common Cause, and Randi John from City of Temecula)- Mapping Software and Technology (Karin MacDonald from the California Statewide Database, moderated by Lori Shellenberger)- Voting Rights Act and Redistricting Criteria (Justin Levitt from Loyola Law School and Angelo Ancheta, former California Citizens…
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California Redistricting Commission Gets Confirmation it Can Use Early Census “Legacy Format” Data

California Redistricting Commission Gets Confirmation it Can Use Early Census “Legacy Format” Data

In a letter to the state's independent redistricting commission, Karin Mac Donald, the director of the California Statewide Database program, (SWDB) confirmed that the SWDB has the technical capabilities to process the legacy format files that the U.S. Census Bureau plans to release ahead of the final redistricting data files scheduled to be released by Sept 30. According to the Census Bureau, the data contained in the legacy file and the final file will be identical. Earlier this month, the bureau indicated that despite the six-month delay in delivering redistricting data to the states, it would be possible to release…
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Update: Alabama Court Grants 3-Judge Panel in Census Lawsuit

Update: Alabama Court Grants 3-Judge Panel in Census Lawsuit

An Alabama federal district court granted a Mar 8 request for a 3-judge panel by plaintiffs to consider the differential privacy claims raised in a lawsuit filed by the state of Alabama against the U.S. Census Bureau. Federal statute allows a plaintiff to request a 3-judge panel to consider any case involving the use of any statistical method used in the decennial U.S. census in possible violation of the Constitution or other provision of law. This development ensures a fast-track to the U.S. Supreme Court should one of the parties appeal the panel's decision. Read the court's order. In granting…
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Update: Minnesota Court Issues Order to Appoint Special Redistricting Panel if Legislature Fails to Redistrict

Update: Minnesota Court Issues Order to Appoint Special Redistricting Panel if Legislature Fails to Redistrict

On March 22, the Minnesota Supreme Court granted the plaintiff's request in Wattson v. Simon to appoint a special redistricting panel for redistricting in the state in anticipation of the legislature failing to enact maps in time for upcoming elections. Read the original complaint. Read the court's order. Learn more. While the court agreed to appoint a panel at some point in the future, it delayed doing so and stayed all further proceedings until the legislature has had time to enact maps. This year's regular session of the Minnesota legislature is scheduled to end in late May. The court also…
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Ohio’s Lawsuit Over Census Data Delay is Dismissed by Federal Court

Earlier today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio denied Ohio's request to the court for an order compelling the U.S. Census Bureau to deliver redistricting data to the state by the statutory deadline of March 31. Ultimately the court denied the request for a preliminary injunction for lack of standing because the Census Bureau's failure to meet its deadline in and of itself does not constitute a redressable injury, explaining that "A litigant is not concretely injured and standing is not met simply because a statute creates a legal obligation that goes unfulfilled." In an opinion…
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Congressional Redistricting Under HR1: A Primer for State Officials

Congressional Redistricting Under HR1: A Primer for State Officials

S.1/H.R.1 is a comprehensive piece of legislation dealing with election administration, voting procedures, and campaign finance, and it includes dramatic requirements for the congressional redistricting process in nearly every state. Whats more, these requirements may apply to the current redistricting cycle. My colleague Nick Stabile and I at New York Law School's NY Census & Redistricting Institute have drafted this guide (below) for state officials to comply with S.1/H.R.1 if the bill is enacted into law in its current form. It is designed as a “how-to” guide for states to implement HR1/S1’s redistricting provisions if enacted “as is." https://redistrictingonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HR-1-_-S-1-Redistricting-Primer-for-State-Officials-03.23.2021.pdf Read…
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Pomona, CA Seeks Residents to Serve on its Independent Redistricting Commission

Pomona, CA Seeks Residents to Serve on its Independent Redistricting Commission

Pomona, California is seeking 7 residents to serve as commissioners on an independent redistricting panel. Review the requirements here. Pomona City Council Seeks Pomona Residents Interested in Serving on the:Independent Redistricting CommissionPOMONA, CA (March 22, 2021) – If you have a strong interest in the community andyou have the ability to give generously of your time, why not apply to serve on theIndependent Redistricting Commission. Commissioners have an opportunity to makea difference in the community by providing recommendations to the City Council.Commissioners serve on a volunteer basis and are appointed by the City Council.Anyone who is a resident of Pomona…
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Interactive Historical Apportionment Map Released by U.S. Census Bureau

Interactive Historical Apportionment Map Released by U.S. Census Bureau

You can now view the results of every apportionment since 1910 in this new interactive map from the U.S. Census Bureau. The map displays the change in the number of U.S. House seats for each state in each decade, the percent change in population, and population density for each state. U.S. Census Bureau March 22, 2021: Interactive Apportionment Map Now Available The U.S. Census Bureau launched a new online map today ahead of the 2020 Census apportionment results release. The “Historical Apportionment Data Map” currently displays apportionment results for each census from 1910 to 2010. 2020 Census apportionment results will…
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A Proposal for a Nevada Independent Redistricting Commission May be Headed for the Ballot. Again

A Proposal for a Nevada Independent Redistricting Commission May be Headed for the Ballot. Again

In Nevada last Wednesday a proposed constitutional amendment was introduced in the legislature that would establish a seven-member independent redistricting commission to draw the state's congressional and state legislative districts. The amendment, if adopted would prohibit partisan line-drawing and require competitive districts. The senate and house minority and majority leaders would appoint four commission members and those four would appoint the remaining three members, who must be unaffiliated voters or from a third political party. The joint resolution would still need to be approved in two consecutive sessions of the legislature and by a majority of voters. In 2011 a…
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This Online Map Tool Identifies the Impact of Census Data Delays in Every State

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

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…
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