Category Archives: redistricting

Today’s Must-Read: Reihan Salam and Rob Richie on How to Make Congress More Bipartisan Through Ranked Choice Voting

July 8, 2017, 9:22 pmabsentee ballots, redistrictingRick Hasen

Great NYT oped: Next term the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Wisconsin’s election maps that could lead to a precedent-setting ruling against partisan gerrymandering — the problematic process whereby incumbents draw legislative boundaries to help their fellow partisans.… Continue reading

“Texas Redistricting Back in Court”

July 7, 2017, 2:27 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Michael Li: On July 10, a three-judge panel in Texas begins a week-long trial over the state’s congressional and state house plans. Here’s what you need to know.

Take Care Podcast on WI Partisan Gerrymandering Case Before #SCOTUS

June 30, 2017, 9:40 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Listen.

“The Supreme Court is in no hurry to protect voters from gerrymandering”

June 28, 2017, 8:14 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I have written this piece for the Washington Post’s PostEverything. It begins: When it comes to assuring fair elections, the Supreme Court has a new message: Voters can wait. Its recently completed term featured two key redistricting votes in which… Continue reading

“A Tale of (at Least) Two Gerrymanders”

June 27, 2017, 8:05 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Goldfeder and Perez in NYLJ.

“GOP wants new election maps for NC judges and prosecutors”

June 26, 2017, 5:01 pmchicanery, judicial elections, redistrictingRick Hasen

News & Observer: A proposal to redraw North Carolina’s court districts has emerged in the final days of the General Assembly’s session. A state House judiciary committee considered proposed maps for Superior Court and District Court judges and district attorneys… Continue reading

“Analysis indicates partisan gerrymandering has benefited GOP”

June 25, 2017, 3:43 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Extensive AP analysis using the efficiency gap: The AP scrutinized the outcomes of all 435 U.S. House races and about 4,700 state House and Assembly seats up for election last year using a new statistical method of calculating partisan advantage.… Continue reading

“How Democrats Gerrymandered Their Way to Victory in Maryland”

June 25, 2017, 3:26 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Dave Daley in The Atlantic: New court depositions and previously unseen emails uncover just how determined Maryland Democrats were to take a seat from the Republicans and knock 10-term veteran Roscoe Bartlett—an idiosyncratic conservative who after losing his seat retired… Continue reading

“Has the Top Two Primary Elected More Moderates?”

June 23, 2017, 11:22 ampolitical parties, political polarization, primaries, redistrictingRick Hasen

Eric (“Efficiency Gap”) McGhee and Boris Shor have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Party polarization is perhaps the most significant political trend of the past several decades of American politics. Many observers have pinned hopes on… Continue reading

“Do we really want the Supreme Court to decide how partisan is too partisan?”

June 22, 2017, 2:20 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Chuck Lane WaPo column.

“The Supreme Court’s Chance to End the Gerrymander”

June 22, 2017, 8:06 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Bloomberg View editorial.

“A new Supreme Court case could rejigger electoral lines for the 2020 election”

June 21, 2017, 9:10 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Steve Mazie for The Economist.

“Some States Beat Supreme Court to Punch on Eliminating Gerrymanders”

June 20, 2017, 7:55 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT: California is the largest of a handful of states that are trying to minimize the partisanship in the almost invariably political act of drawing district lines. California has handed that task to the independent and politically balanced California Citizens… Continue reading

“Court may rule on partisan gerrymandering – but maybe not”

June 20, 2017, 1:05 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Lyle Denniston: Although the court did not explain its willingness to schedule a hearing at the same time that it voted to block the lower court ruling in the meantime, its actions on Monday were not favorable to the challengers… Continue reading