Redistricting Commissions are Now in a Majority of States

Redistricting Commissions are Now in a Majority of States

By EditorFeb 22, 2021
In case you missed it, as of this January when Maryland’s Governor announced the creation of an advisory redistricting commission, 26 states now have some form of a redistricting commission. Other recent additions include Ohio and Virginia. Commissions with Power to Enact a Map These commissions have the initial (and sometimes ultimate authority) to enact a redistricting map for a state. This includes “citizen” or “independent” commissions, in addition to appointed or hybrid commissions. AlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoHawaiiIdahoMichiganMissouriMontanaNew JerseyOhioPennsylvaniaWashingtonSome but not all of these commissions listed have authority over “both” congressional and legislative maps. Advisory or Backup Commissions Advisory commissions go through the…
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CA Redistricting Commission Reviewing Applications for Litigation Team and Voting Rights Counsel

CA Redistricting Commission Reviewing Applications for Litigation Team and Voting Rights Counsel

By Michelle DavisFeb 17, 2021
The voting rights act counsel would provide legal support to the Commission, staff and consultants regarding the redistricting process, including the review of proposed district maps; development, use and analysis of Racially Polarized Voting (“RPV”) data, preparation of legal memoranda and general legal advice to the Commission. The commission is also seeking a litigation team in the event that any or all of its redistricting maps (Congressional, and State Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization) are challenged in state or federal court. To that end, the commission is seeking is seeking “statements of qualifications” (SOQ) from attorneys, including law firms…
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What’s New About Redistricting in 2020? – It’s Going To Start Late

What’s New About Redistricting in 2020? – It’s Going To Start Late

By EditorFeb 11, 2021
Really late. The pre-Covid decades were very much predictable in terms of census data releases. The apportionment data, pursuant to statute, would be delivered to the President and Congress by Dec. 31, and redistricting was delivered to the states on a rolling basis throughout March. States with early primaries in that year would get their data first. By April 1 every state would have all of the data needed to begin the redistricting process. This decade, the census data timeline has been delayed and is riddled with uncertainty. The apportionment data was promised by the Census Bureau in January, then…
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Maryland Governor Creates Citizens Redistricting Commission

Maryland Governor Creates Citizens Redistricting Commission

By EditorJan 31, 2021
Gov. Larry Hogan announced that he would establish The Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission to redraw the state's congressional and state legislative boundaries. The application period for members of the public to apply to be on the commission is now open. The commission will consist of 3 members appointed by the governor and 6 members of the public who are selected by the initial three after applying through the application process. The governor's appointees are Judge Alexander Williams (democrat), Walter Olsen (Republican), and Dr. Kathleen Hetherington (Independent). Williams is a retired Judge of the United States District Court for the District…
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Watch: The New Virginia Redistricting Commission Conducts its First Full Meeting

Watch: The New Virginia Redistricting Commission Conducts its First Full Meeting

By EditorJan 31, 2021
The brand new 2021 Virginia Redistricting Commission is up and running. This is new for the state, so all eyes will be on the 16-member commission as redistricting looms. You can watch the meetings here on RedistrictingOnline. Watch commission meetings via Redistrictingonline's Youtube playlist or the Virginia state info page to keep up to date on the commission and redistricting in Virginia in general. The commission is made up of eight citizen members and eight members of the state General Assembly. The commission held its first meeting as a full commission on January 21. There will lots for the commissioners…
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Panel Discussion: What Are “Communities of Interest” and How Will They Affect Redistricting in Michigan?

Panel Discussion: What Are “Communities of Interest” and How Will They Affect Redistricting in Michigan?

By EditorOct 24, 2020
For a discussion on how Michigan has approached the principle of communities of interest and what this portends for the new redistricting commission, watch panelists Jocelyn Benson, Connie Malloy, Chris Lamar, Christopher Thomas, & moderator Nancy Wang discuss Michigan's approach to redistricting via an Independent Citizens Commission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kiEVY2Z4w&feature=emb_logo
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A Look at the New Redistricting Process in New York

A Look at the New Redistricting Process in New York

By Michelle DavisSep 15, 2020
2021 will be the first time New York conducts redistricting under a new regime. In 2014, as part of a political compromise between the legislature and governor, a constitutional amendment was proposed and eventually approved by voters that establish a redistricting advisory commission, new redistricting criteria, and other rules to increase fairness and participation in the redistricting process. Here is a summary of the process. Redistricting Commission: The amendment creates a 10-member commission, eight of whom are chosen by legislative leaders (speaker, senate president and the minority leaders in each house). Four members are chosen from the majority party and…
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Video: New York Legislators Hold Public Hearing on Redistricting

Video: New York Legislators Hold Public Hearing on Redistricting

By Michelle DavisSep 14, 2020
Hoping to grapple with an untenable confluence of logistical realities, the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment held this hearing in July to deal with possible delayed census results, early 2022 primaries, and new redistricting rules. The full video of that July 15 virtual public hearing is below. The legislature will be grappling with an entirely new process for redistricting in accordance with a 2014 constitutional amendment that made significant changes to the state's redistricting process, including the creation of a redistricting commission. Several reform, advocacy and public interest groups testified at the hearing including the League of…
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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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Panel Discusses Election Administration, Redistricting and Campaign Finance

Panel Discusses Election Administration, Redistricting and Campaign Finance

By EditorFeb 06, 2019
On Thursday, January 31, a panel of professors and activists met to discuss the state of the American election system. Here is the description provided by the Hammer Forum of UCLA: . "The 2018 midterm elections revealed egregious voter suppression tactics and mismanagement of polling places but also slate of new reforms that eliminate barriers to voting for many Americans. Kathay Feng, California Common Cause executive director; Franita Tolson, USC Gould School of Law professor; Justin Levitt, Loyola Law School professor; and Michael Morley, Florida State University law professor, discuss the future of voting rights and election laws with moderator Rick Hasen, UC Irvine…
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