California’s Redistricting Experiment. This is a guest post from previous guest contributor Eric McGhee. The latest legal decision is in, and things are looking even better for California’s nascent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC). Last Friday, the California Supreme Court ruled strongly in favor of the CRC, declaring unanimously that the commission’s state Senate map should be used this year even if a pending referendum to overturn the map qualifies for the ballot. The decision, Vandermost v. Bowen, can be found here . This follows on a decision last fall, where the Court unanimously (and without any written opinion) dismissed a more substantive legal case against the state Senate and congressional maps. The outcome was consistent with an evaluation of the CRC plans that Vlad Kogan at UCSD and I conducted for the California Journal of Politics and Policy (in fact, the Court cited the paper in its decision).
It makes me wonder whether the commission model is actually the right one for the post-Baker v. Oregon redistricting gives GOP slight bump. This is the latest in a regular Fix series that focuses on the decennial redistricting process in key states. We call it “Mapping the Future.” The series aims to look forward to how the maps in these states could be drawn and what the best and worst outcomes for each party might be.
Today we take on South Carolina. (And make sure to check out the previous installments: Texas, Indiana, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, California, Nevada, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Utah, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan, Louisiana, New Jersey, Colorado,Minnesota and South Carolina.) Oregon’s state legislature has passed a new plan for its five congressional districts, and the new map looks a whole lot like the current one. Republicans say they feel marginally better about their chances of beating Democratic Reps. (Check out this great illustration by the state legislature, which allows for easy comparison between the proposed districts and the current ones.)
Shington State Redistricting Commission | Historical Timeline. Pre-1950s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | Post-2000 The state Constitution requires that the Legislature redistrict based on "the number of inhabitants" after each U.S. Census. The original Legislature consists of 70 representatives and 35 senators. More are added in 1890 and 1901 to keep up with the state's population growth. Citizens complain that representation is badly apportioned and debate using an initiative to redraw district boundaries. Back to top The League of Women Voters proposes its own redistricting initiative—Initiative 199— after legislators battle along party lines to redraw voting boundaries.
Initiative 199 passes, linking redistricting to population trends in the state. The League of Women Voters proposes an amendment to the state Constitution that would establish a commission to take over redistricting if the Legislature failed to quickly adopt a redistricting plan. 1960s The League of Women Voters proposes another initiative to improve redistricting. 1970s. A Citizen’s Guide to Redistricting, 2010 Edition. Just in time for the upcoming redistricting cycle, this guide provides engaged citizens with the knowledge and tools they need to get involved with this round of redistricting, and to work toward continuing reform in the decades to come. Download Guide Redistricting Project About the Authors Just in time for the upcoming redistricting cycle, our Citizen's Guide to Redistricting has been updated and expanded to include recent court decisions as well as the latest changes to state and congressional redistricting processes across the country.
This Guide will provide engaged citizens with the knowledge and tools they need to get involved with this round of redistricting, and to work towards continuing reform in the decades to come. Why does redistricting matter? Our representatives in local, state, and federal government set the rules by which we live. In addition to affecting large political trends, the way that district lines are drawn can have very specific consequences. About the Authors. California Redistricting | Issues | League of Women Voters of California ® The new district maps for state Assembly, Senate, Board of Equalization and Congressional districts will be used beginning with the 2012 June and November elections.
Find Your New District: At ReDrawCa.org, click on Find Your District, enter your zip code or address to see all of your districts. Along with new district lines, many districts also have new numbers. State Senate DistrictsDid your district lines change for the 2012 elections? Your district numbers may have changed too! Compare the 2001 and 2011 District Maps 80 state Assembly Districts 40 state Senate Districts 4 state Board of Equalization Districts 53 California Congressional Districts Final commission report detailing their process and findings. What Is a Deferred Voter? In 2012 voters will elect new state senators in odd-numbered districts for new four year terms. Challenges : Proposition 40: A referendum on the state senate maps has qualified for the November 2012 General Election ballot.
States and Local Government Redistircting. California's 2011 Redistricting: The Preliminary Plan (PPIC Publication) Demystifying Virginia’s redistricting. Alas, Virginia, like most states, lets its legislature draw its own district boundaries as well as congressional boundaries. This means that those who draw the boundaries have a pretty big conflict of interest: They can maintain their own prerogatives— the preservation of their own political prospects and those of their parties — while the public interest might demand other priorities. For instance: Districts that aren’t shaped like shattered chunks of volcanic rock held together by a chewing-gum thread. Or districts where the general election — and not just the ideologically driven party primaries — actually matters. But there is hope: Power is now in the hands of the people.
Two shrewd poli-sci professors have students crunching numbers and redrawing district lines using new open-source software that demystifies and democratizes the whole byzantine redistricting process. “We’ve gone so far in . . . protecting incumbents in both parties that it’s been truly corrosive,” said Norman J. Current Status of Commission’s Final Certified District Maps | California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The Commission’s final certified district maps are scheduled to take effect for the June 2012 primary elections.
The California Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the two legal challenges pending before the Court to the Commission’s maps on October 26th, 2011. The deadline has passed for filing new, state court litigation. A similar legal challenge to the Congressional maps, by the same petitioners, was filed in Federal Court. That challenge was dismissed with prejudice on February 10, 2012. The Commission submitted maps for Voting Rights Act (VRA), Section 5 counties, (Yuba, Monterey, Merced and Kings), to the U.S. A referendum challenging the Commission’s State Senate maps has qualified for the November ballot. Resolutions | Cover Letter | Final Report | Appendix 1 | Appendix 2 | Appendix 3 | Appendix 4 | Appendix 5 | Appendix 6 CLICK HERE to view the final certified maps at the Statewide Database site.
Maps: Final Draft Congressional Districts | California Citizens Redistricting Commission. California Citizens Redistricting Commission "Fair Representation―Democracy At Work! " Navigation Maps: Final Certified Congressional Districts Assembly | Senate | Congress | Board of Equalization CLICK HERE to view the final certified maps at the Statewide Database site 2001 Congressional District Map of California The link above leads to a site not hosted by the Citizens Redistricting Commission 2011 Final Congressional District Map of California Final Report Resolutions | Cover Letter | Final Report | Appendix 1 | Appendix 2 | Appendix 3 | Appendix 4 | Appendix 5 | Appendix 6 Final Certified Congressional Maps with SHA-1 Hash Digest Download Equivalency and Shape Files for Congressional Maps CDF | DBF | SHP | KMZ (for Google Earth) Download City and County Splits Reports for Congressional Maps Splits Reports View PDF Files of Individual Congressional Districts Courtesy of the Advancement Project YouTube Twitter Facebook Mailing List.
The Washington Post Redistricting Scorecard. 2010 Census Data - 2010 Census.