Civil Rights Groups Issue New Report Detailing Potential Harm to Minority Groups During Redistricting Due to Differential Privacy

By EditorApr 05, 2021

Civil rights groups are raising concerns about the accuracy of the U.S. Census Bureau’s proposed new system for protecting privacy in a report released today. The report raises concerns about how the Bureau's use of differential privacy as evidenced by recent demonstration data, will obfuscate the true population count of minority populations and frustrate compliance with federal (and some state) Voting Rights laws governing the redistricting process. PRESS RELEASE April 5, 2021: Civil Rights Groups Issue New Report Detailing Potential Harm to Upcoming Redistricting Efforts Highlight Concerns About the Census Bureau’s Differential Privacy Methodology (Washington, D.C.) – Civil rights groups…

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Congressional Redistricting Under HR1: A Primer for State Officials

By Jeffrey M. WiceMar 24, 2021

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

By EditorMar 22, 2021

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

By Michelle DavisMar 19, 2021

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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U.S. Census Bureau Suggests Possibility of Redistricting Data in August, but with a catch.

By Michelle DavisMar 16, 2021

In a recent court filing and press release, the U.S. Census Bureau appears to be open to the possibility of delivering untabulated data by mid to late August to requesting states if they take the responsibility for reporting the data accurately. In its litigation in federal court in Ohio, which sued the Bureau for missing its statutory deadline to provide redistricting data to states - the Bureau filed a declaration explaining in detail its operational limitations for delivering the data files before the Sept 30 deadline it announced weeks ago. In doing so, it acknowledged that it was physically possible…

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Here’s the Compressed 2021 Timeline for State Congressional Maps if Congress Passes HR1

By Jeffrey M. WiceMar 15, 2021

H.R. 1—the For the People Act—mandates significant changes to states’ congressional redistricting processes beginning with the post-2020 census redistricting in 2021. Under H.R. 1, a state’s congressional redistricting plan must be approved by a 15-member independent redistricting commission. The first six Commissioners are randomly chosen from a 36-member Selection Pool, and those six Commissioners then appoint the final nine. If a state does not form the required commission, a federal three-judge court will draw the district lines. I along with my colleague and Fellow at the New York Law School, Nicholas P. Stabile, have drafted this quick timeline for what…

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Watch: Census Bureau Briefs States On Redistricting Data Delivery Delay

By EditorMar 09, 2021

Watch this virtual briefing by the bureau last week on what exactly is taking so long with the redistricting data that states need to complete maps. Redistricting data will be delayed at least six months until Sep. 30. James Whitehorne, Chief of the Census Redistricting & Voting Rights Data Office at the Census Bureau, briefed state officials during this meeting hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The meeting begins with a short update on the status of H.R. 1, a sweeping election reform bill currently moving through Congress that would impose dramatic structural changes to the congressional redistricting…

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Highlights of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4)

By EditorMar 09, 2021

During the 116th congress in 2019, the Voting Rights Advancement Act was introduced in the Senate by Senator Leahy. The bill is expected to be reintroduced in some form in the current 117th congress. Below are the highlights of the bill’s provisions as articulated by Sen. Leahy’s office. You can read a more in-depth explanation of the first two points here. creates a new coverage formula that applies to all states and hinges on a finding of repeated voting rights violations in the preceding 25 years. establishes a targeted process for reviewing voting changes in jurisdictions nationwide, focused on measures…

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Amendments to H.R. 1 Take Congressional Map-Drawing Out of the Hands of State Legislatures in 2021

By EditorMar 03, 2021

In mid-February, we reported about potential sweeping reforms of the congressional redistricting process in the states proposed by Congress. The bill (H.R. 1) would have been effective in 2030 but newly added amendments on Monday, make it a requirement for states this year. Yes. This year. The amended H.R.1 requires states to either create an agency to establish a commission or designate an existing one to carry out a detailed commissioner selection process. The procedural requirements are substantial and maps created by the commission must meet various rigorous statistical measures to avoid partisan gerrymandering. A vote is scheduled on the…

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Listen: Supreme Court Oral Argument in Brnovich Voting Rights Act (sec. 2) Case

By EditorMar 03, 2021

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, a lawsuit challenging Arizona's out-of-precinct policy on Election Day, which does not count provisional ballots cast in person that were cast outside of the voter’s designated precinct and its ballot-collection law, which permits only certain persons to handle another person’s completed early ballot. The lawsuit contends these laws violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. While redistricting maps are often challenged for minority vote dilution under Section 2 of the Act, this case involves claims of vote denial as opposed to vote dilution and centers around…

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