Watch: House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Voting Discrimination

Watch: House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Voting Discrimination

By Michelle DavisSep 12, 2019
Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2019 - 10:00am Location: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony regarding evidence of current and ongoing voting discrimination. Witnesses included: Mr. Derrick Johnson ,President and CEO, NAACP Ms. Vanita Gupta ,President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights J. Christian Adams, President and General Counsel, Public Interest Legal Foundation Mr. Dale Ho, Director, Voting Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union Ms. Myrna Perez, Director, Voting Rights and Elections Program, Brennan Center for Justice Ms. Natalie A. Landreth, Senior Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund https://youtu.be/VoRQ6-CD7Yc?t=1837
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Do Independent Redistricting Commissions Produce Neutral Maps?

Do Independent Redistricting Commissions Produce Neutral Maps?

By Michelle DavisJul 02, 2019
After the Supreme Court's exit from the partisan gerrymandering business last week, the focus will likely turn to the states. The call for independent redistricting commissions will be key to any reform strategy. A group of government and political science professors provided some insight into the question of whether these commissions actually work to produce nonpartisan, or "less" partisan maps. Their preliminary evidence suggests that it does. "The nonpartisan-drawn maps tended to be more symmetrical on average after redistricting. In other words, they tended to treat both parties similarly. This suggests that nonpartisan bodies have successfully neutralized partisan bias, as…
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Redistricting Reform Advocates Strategize at Gerrymandering Summit

Redistricting Reform Advocates Strategize at Gerrymandering Summit

By EditorJan 22, 2019
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy hosted the "Terminate Gerrymandering Summit and Fair Maps Incubator " Conference earlier this month as part of an effort to take advantage of the momentum that independent redistricting commission movements have created across the country with several states passing ballot initiatives to create "California Style" commissions. . The project is the brainchild of former CA governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The institute on campus that bears his name hosted this event at which he was the keynote speaker. Schwarzenegger explains that he wants to "accelerate the fight, bringing together those who’ve won nonpartisan redistricting…
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Are Redistricting Commissions in Danger?

Are Redistricting Commissions in Danger?

By Michelle DavisJan 09, 2019
Arizona, California and more recently, Ohio are among the handful of states that have established independent redistricting commissions by ballot measures. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld a challenge to Arizona's commission, but at least one election law expert warns that the court may reverse itself on this question in the future. Rick Hasen, Professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine believes this is a real possibility. Read the article in the Atlantic.
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Michigan State Supreme Court Hears Argument on Commission Ballot Initiative

Michigan State Supreme Court Hears Argument on Commission Ballot Initiative

By EditorJul 24, 2018
Last week, the Michigan State Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that pits redistricting reform advocates at odds with opponents about whether to allow a proposal for an independent redistricting commission on the ballot this election year that would amount to a sweeping reform of the redistricting process if approved by Michigan voters. (more…)
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Video: A Neat Lesson on Less Obvious Gerrymanders

Video: A Neat Lesson on Less Obvious Gerrymanders

By EditorJul 23, 2018
People often often associate gerrymandering with "ugly," districts that have tortured boundaries, but  many gerrymanders are quite pretty.  This tutorial on gerrymandering by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project is one of the best  visualizations of how gerrymandering can masquerade as a visually appealing map with compact districts.   (more…)
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Michigan Launches Anti-Gerrymandering Campaign on Four Fronts

Michigan Launches Anti-Gerrymandering Campaign on Four Fronts

By EditorApr 20, 2017
Michigan -  The Voters Not Politicians Ballot Committee is looking to end partisan gerrymandering in the state for good.  The group, including Wayne State University political science professor Kevin Deegan-Krause, will be heading up a good government initiative to end gerrymandering using (1) a ballot initiative; (2) legislation introduced in the state legislature; (3) a lawsuit claiming partisan gerrymandering that is patterned after the pending Wisconsin lawsuit; and (4) a partnership with the Democratic party's newly formed initiative to counter ongoing Republican electoral dominance via redistricting.  Read more here.
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