Parties Debate Timeliness of Lawsuit in PA Congressional Map Challenge

By EditorAug 08, 2021
A group of voters in Pennsylvania started the 2020 litigation cycle early by suing in Pennsylvania state court over the state's congressional map. The lawsuit presumes that the state legislature will not have enough time to enact a congressional map given its history of gridlock and a severely shortened mapmaking schedule due to late census redistricting data. It is asking the court to take jurisdiction now to avoid delays in redrawing congressional districts. The case is Carter v. Degraffenreid. Read the complaint here. The lawsuit was filed in April of 2021. This is an update on the status of the…
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VA State Redistricting Commission Divided on Map Drawing Approach

VA State Redistricting Commission Divided on Map Drawing Approach

By EditorAug 06, 2021
The Virginia Redistricting Commission was advised its lawyers to revise existing maps rather than start from scratch, due to time and resources constraints. Read the full wvtf.org story. Listen to audio excerpts from the commission meeting below. Full commission meeting video is available on the Virginia state almanac page. Virginia Public Radio : WVTF (Aug 4, 2021)  
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Census Bureau to Release Redistricting Data on Aug. 12. Four Days Early.

Census Bureau to Release Redistricting Data on Aug. 12. Four Days Early.

By EditorAug 05, 2021
U.S. Census Bureau Press Release: August 5, 2021. The U.S. Census Bureau will hold a news conference to discuss the release of the first local level results from the 2020 Census. States use these data on race, Hispanic origin, and the voting-age population to redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts. The news conference will provide initial analysis of the first local level results from the 2020 Census on population change, race, ethnicity, the age 18 and over population, and housing occupancy status. A live Q&A session with Census Bureau subject-matter experts will immediately follow the briefing…
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Recent Census Data Developments Call into Question its Suitability for Redistricting

Recent Census Data Developments Call into Question its Suitability for Redistricting

By EditorAug 01, 2021
In the span of just a few days and just weeks before official census redistricting data is scheduled to be released, the Census Bureau reveals two rather startling revelations about the data. "Fuzzy Blocks" First, the Acting Census Director Ron Jarmin warned in the Director's Blog that the information in individual census blocks - the smallest and most detailed unit of data - will appear "fuzzy" and at times nonsensical due to the Bureau's application of privacy measures, and thus should not be used for building redistricting maps. Blocks are often used as the basic building blocks of redistricting maps…
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Union of Concerned Scientists Release Report on 2020 Census Data Accuracy

Union of Concerned Scientists Release Report on 2020 Census Data Accuracy

By EditorJul 30, 2021
Concerns about census data accuracy have lead experts to worry about "the potential undercounting of variousgroups in the country and how undercounts might affect federal funding allocation, redistricting efforts, and representation. The Union of Concerned Scientists released this report in July describing the possible effects that undercounting may have on specific populations. From the Report: ". . . worries include potential undercounting of Hispanic populations in many communities and of young children, as well as underestimates of population at the state level (Epstein and Medina 2021; O’Hare et al. 2020; Bahrampour,Rabinowitz, and Mellnik 2021). In this report, we seek to…
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Redistricting Data: What to Expect and When

Redistricting Data: What to Expect and When

By EditorJul 28, 2021
Director's Blog - BY DR. RON JARMIN, ACTING DIRECTOR: Since releasing the apportionment results in April, we’ve had several teams working hard on the next set of 2020 Census data — the redistricting data. These data play an important role in our democracy and will begin to illuminate the changes to the local and demographic makeup of our nation over the last decade. These data include the first sub-state population counts and demographic characteristics from the census, information that states typically use for redistricting — the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries based on where their populations have increased or…
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Resources Available to Prepare for the 2020 Census Redistricting Data Release

Resources Available to Prepare for the 2020 Census Redistricting Data Release

By EditorJul 28, 2021
Press Release- BY JAMES WHITEHORNE, CHIEF, REDISTRICTING DATA AND VOTING RIGHTS OFFICE: In a few weeks, we’ll release the 2020 Census redistricting data in our legacy summary file format. And a few weeks after that, we’ll release the same data in an easier-to-use format. We’re releasing the same data twice but in different formats at different times to make sure states get the data as quickly as possible. Acting Director Dr. Ron Jarmin explained these two releases in his blog, Redistricting Data: What to Expect and When. In this blog, I provide more detail about the formats and support materials available,…
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Montgomery County Redistricting Commission Clarifies Use of “Draft Maps”

Montgomery County Redistricting Commission Clarifies Use of “Draft Maps”

By EditorJul 24, 2021
Statement from Montgomery County's Commission on Redistricting Chair Cordier about redistricting maps and ongoing deliberations For Immediate Release: Friday, July 23, 2021 Rockville, Md., July 23, 2021—At the July 14 meeting of the Montgomery County Commission on Redistricting, the group reviewed and discussed different redistricting mapping tools. As part of these deliberations, examples of maps were displayed and shared with Commission members to illustrate different approaches to using these tools.Mariana Cordier, chair of the Commission on Redistricting, made the following statement on the ongoing work of the group and the maps used as examples at the last meeting."At the sixth…
Local Redistricting, NEWS, Redistricting
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