Category Archives: redistricting

“Inside Alabama Republicans’ plan to overturn Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act”

July 28, 2023, 4:43 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

Alabama Political Reporter: The decision by Alabama Republican legislators to seemingly defy a Supreme Court directive to redraw congressional voting maps with a second majority-Black district was part of a larger strategy intended to force the high court to… Continue reading

“How Alabama could get away with defying the Supreme Court”

July 26, 2023, 9:55 amredistricting, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

Ian Millhiser in Vox, concluding that the Alabama legislature’s “defiance [of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Allen v. Milligan] is unlikely to be tolerated by the courts,” but that “there is a risk that the Supreme Court will… Continue reading

“Texas trial to be first major test of Voting Rights Act since Supreme Court decision”

July 26, 2023, 5:24 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

NPR’s Morning Edition: “A voting map drawn by Republicans for one Texas county [Galveston] eliminated the only precinct represented by a non-white Democrat. Now, that map is being challenged.”

“‘Lose the courts, lose the war’: The battle over voting in North Carolina”

July 26, 2023, 4:42 amfelon voting, judicial elections, redistricting, voter idDan Tokaji

Center for Public Integrity has this story, part of its series on state high courts, tracing the state’s long-running fights over voting. Spoiler alert: “The North Carolina Supreme Court released its opinions in the redistricting, voter ID and… Continue reading

“New York Redistricting Case Could Help Sway Control of Congress”

July 26, 2023, 4:26 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

WSJ: New York’s highest court is set to weigh in on a new set of congressional maps in the state, a ruling that analysts say could position Democrats to pick up as many as five U.S. House districts in… Continue reading

“Many redistricting redos pending, but ’24 election outlook unclear”

July 25, 2023, 4:45 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

Roll Call reports on states where there’s still pending or potential action in federal or state court, including Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Georgia, Ohio, New York, Utah, and South Carolina. You can find state-by-state redistricting updates on 538.

“Democrats eye Wisconsin high court’s new liberal majority to win abortion and redistricting rulings”

July 25, 2023, 4:26 amcampaign finance, judicial elections, redistrictingDan Tokaji

AP: Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state’s abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of… Continue reading

“Court to check if new congressional map in Alabama weakens the power of Black voters”

July 24, 2023, 9:37 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

From NPR’s Morning Edition: “The legal fight continues over Alabama’s congressional map. A federal court is set to check if a new map approved by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature weakens the power of Black voters.” More on this story… Continue reading

“The fight over Alabama’s congressional redistricting now shifts back to federal court”

July 24, 2023, 5:25 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

AP: Alabama lawmakers on Friday approved new district lines six weeks after the surprise U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a lower court ruling that the state’s previous map — with one Black-majority district out of seven in a state… Continue reading

“Alabama legislature adopts new congressional map that could defy court order”

July 21, 2023, 5:11 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

WaPo: The Republican-led legislature in Alabama approved a new congressional map on Friday that increases the percentage of Black voters in two of the state’s congressional districts. But a legal challenge to the map is already in the works,… Continue reading

How to slay two electoral dragons

July 21, 2023, 3:41 amelectoral college, redistrictingDan Tokaji

Danielle Allen in WaPo, on gerrymandering and the electoral college: “I’ve been going on for many moons about the need to grow the House of Representatives. But there are still two major arguments left for why this is… Continue reading

“Alabama legislature passes redistricting maps that Democrats say defy court order”

July 20, 2023, 5:26 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

WaPo: “The Republican-led House and Senate in Alabama approved dueling congressional maps Wednesday that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the state’s 2nd District — but not by enough, Democrats argued, to comply with a federal court… Continue reading

“Illegal voting maps were used in some states in 2022. This legal idea allowed them”

July 19, 2023, 5:02 amelection administration, redistricting, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

Hansi Lo Wang has this extended NPR piece on the still-growing impact of Purcell v. Gonzalez (audio to be added late tomorrow afternoon). It includes an interview with Helen Purcell, who was Maricopa County’s top election official when the Supreme… Continue reading

League of Women Voters/Common Cause Report on California Citizens Redistricting Commission

July 18, 2023, 2:37 pmredistrictingDan Tokaji

The report, authored by Christian Grose, is available here. From the press release: “The CRC process, by design, is massively more participatory, inclusive, and transparent than redistricting conducted by state legislatures. The result is a process that empowers… Continue reading