Basics: California Citizens Redistricting Commission Selection Process

Basics: California Citizens Redistricting Commission Selection Process

By Michelle DavisSep 01, 2020
The California Citizen's Redistricting Commission (CRC) selected its final members for its 14-member body on August 7. CRC will redraw the lines for California's Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts, based on information gathered during the 2020 census. The CRC must draw the districts in conformity with strict, nonpartisan rules designed to create districts of relatively equal population. The CRC's selection process is a multi-layered one conducted by the State Auditor's Office. It designed to be a mostly nonpartisan, and partly random process in which eight members are selected initially. Those initial eight members must agree on…
Official Redistricting Entities, Redistricting, Redistricting Commissions, , ,
Read More
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…)
FEATURES, Redistricting, Redistricting Gerrymanders, REFORM, VIDEO, ,
Read More
Language Minority Provisions of the Voting Right Act

Language Minority Provisions of the Voting Right Act

By EditorFeb 04, 2015
The U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse. Many regions have significant populations for which English is not their first language, to address this the Voting Rights Act was amended to include the minority language provisions of section 203. Section 203 of the VRA requires registration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or information relating to the electoral process, including ballots, to be provided in the language of an applicable minority in jurisdiction where: citizens of voting age in a single language group within the jurisdiction: Is more than 10,000, or Is more than five percent of all…
Redistricting, Redistricting Race Rules, ,
Read More
In Malapportionment Claims, Its All About Timing and Context

In Malapportionment Claims, Its All About Timing and Context

By EditorApr 16, 2013
The 2010 census brought good news to Latinos in Pennsylvania. Significant gains where made the Latino population in the Philadelphia area and other regions of the state. This would mean increased representation in the state legislature. Imagine the disappointment when the state elections were held in 2012 under the 2001 reapportionment map. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission had convened and drawn a new state legislative map in 2011, but the state Supreme Court found it constitutionally lacking. With no redistricted map in place, the court allowed the 2001 map to be used for the 2012 state elections.   Some Latino groups…
Equal Protection, Redistricting, Redistricting Criteria, Redistricting Litigation, Strategy and Politics,
Read More