Campaign Legal Center Issues a Performance Review of Redistricting Commissions during the 2021 Cycle

Campaign Legal Center Issues a Performance Review of Redistricting Commissions during the 2021 Cycle

On June 26, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) released a report evaluating the performance of various redistricting commissions in the 2021 redistricting cycle. According to CLC, it was "based on an in-depth review of the laws and procedures that governed commissions in each state, as well as an assessment of each commission’s redistricting process. The report presents a number of case studies from the 2021 cycle, which summarize how particular commissions functioned in practice and distills general principles that can be drawn from each commission’s experience." Read the report titled "Redistricting Commissions in the 2021 Redistricting Cycle." Find us on:
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CA League of Women Voters and Common Cause Release Report & Recommendations for 2030 Redistricting Commission

CA League of Women Voters and Common Cause Release Report & Recommendations for 2030 Redistricting Commission

The California League of Women Voters and Common Cause CA released a report recently summarizing the 2020 redistricting process with reform recommendations for the 2030 commission. Key recommendations include: Redistricting bodies should continue to use live line-drawing, stream public meetings, and facilitate remote participation when feasible to enhance transparency During the line-drawing process, prioritizing those areas of the state that involve complex Voting Rights Act analysis and compliance with communities of interest requirements. Codifying protections against minority vote dilution into state law to protect the rights of voters of color. The law should take into consideration the state’s multi-ethnic and…
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Analysis of Proposed Legislative Redistricting Plans submitted to the Wisconsin Supreme Court (Marquette University Law School)

Analysis of Proposed Legislative Redistricting Plans submitted to the Wisconsin Supreme Court (Marquette University Law School)

In late December 2023, the Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidated the state legislative maps it had approved in 2022. The court's composition changed from a majority of conservative judges to a 4-3 liberal majority and a new lawsuit was filed claiming that many of the districts in the maps approved by the court were not contiguous - in violation of the state constitution. The court gave a January 12 deadline for parties to the litigation to submit maps, and 7 were submitted on the deadline. Marquette University Law School Professor John Johnson, a Research Fellow in the Lubar Center for Public…
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Read: NCSL Report and Recommendations on State Inmate Reallocation Efforts During the 2020 Redistricting Cycle.

Read: NCSL Report and Recommendations on State Inmate Reallocation Efforts During the 2020 Redistricting Cycle.

The number of states that reallocate (reassign) prisoners/inmates for redistricting has grown from just 2 during the 2010 redistricting cycle to 13 states in this 2020 cycle. They are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington. The goal of this process is to remove or mitigate distortions in district populations that are caused by correctional facilities that house large numbers of ineligible voters. This entails adjusting census data (which counts inmates where they are physically located) to reflect each inmate's location to be their last known address. The inmate reallocation…
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