Category Archives: redistricting

“Partisan Gerrymandering: Weeds in the Political Thicket”

February 7, 2020, 1:26 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Richard Engstrom has written this article for Social Science Quarterly. Here is the abstract: Abstract Objective To highlight the extent of the partisan gerrymandering problem in the United States. Methods Bring both original and secondary sources to bear on the… Continue reading

“Partisan Gerrymandering and State Constitutions”

February 6, 2020, 7:24 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Michael Morley has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Since the U.S. Supreme Court held in Rucho v. Common Cause that partisan gerrymandering claims are non-justiciable under the U.S. Constitution, reformers have shifted their focus to pursuing… Continue reading

“Who should count? Details of Missouri GOP redistricting plan could mean big changes”

January 29, 2020, 8:10 amredistrictingRick Hasen

KC Star: Who should be counted when Missouri’s 197 legislative districts are redrawn: everyone who lives in the state or only citizens old enough to vote?It’s not a question that’s gotten much attention in the more than a year lawmakers… Continue reading

“When New Jersey Next Redistricts, It Will Count Incarcerated People Where They Lived”

January 21, 2020, 7:50 amfelon voting, redistrictingRick Hasen

Daniel Nichanian for The Appeal.

“Ohio 2020 election targeted by national Obama / Holder redistricting group”

January 16, 2020, 12:47 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Cleveland.com reports.

“Missouri GOP puts political fairness at bottom of redistricting priorities”

January 15, 2020, 8:14 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

AP: Republican senators rolled out a plan Tuesday to ask Missouri voters to undo key parts of a nationally unique redistricting model that directs a demographer to draw new legislative districts with “partisan fairness” and “competitiveness” as top criteria.The… Continue reading

“Redistricting power at stake in 2020 legislative elections”

January 14, 2020, 4:19 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

AP report, with a rundown of the major states in play.

“Republicans ‘got greedy’ in drawing Pennsylvania congressional maps, new documents say”

January 8, 2020, 8:10 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on documents from the trove released by Thomas Hofeller’s daughter: “GOP gerrymandering got greedy the last time and bad political climate caused it to unravel,” one of the state-by-state analysis documents in the files said of… Continue reading

“Nevada group to seek signatures for redistricting initiative”

January 7, 2020, 3:02 pmdirect democracy, redistrictingJustin Levitt

The initiative to institute a commission in Nevada was amended and refiled to address a trial judge’s concerns about the ballot description.

Census hearing on hard-to-count communities at same time as voting systems security hearing

January 7, 2020, 2:57 pmpolitical equality, redistrictingJustin Levitt

At the same time as the Thursday hearing on voting system security that I’d mentioned, House Oversight will be holding a hearing on “Reaching Hard-to-Count Communities in the 2020 Census.” The witness list is still TBD, as… Continue reading

“Florida becomes one of last states to form Census committee”

January 7, 2020, 2:56 pmredistrictingJustin Levitt

The AP reports on Florida’s … exceedingly recent efforts to raise census awareness. In this context, I’m not sure whether “it’s never too late” is quite accurate.

“Where do inmates fall in Census count? NJ moves to end ‘prison gerrymandering'”

January 6, 2020, 2:11 pmpolitical equality, redistrictingJustin Levitt

A bill has passed the state Senate, and is working its way through the state Assembly. If it gets signed into law, that would make New Jersey the seventh state to change where incarcerated individuals are counted for representational… Continue reading

Techniques for Grassroots Campaign Volunteer Mobilization

January 6, 2020, 2:07 pmpetition signature gathering, redistrictingJustin Levitt

Joe Spaulding, lead field strategist for the Voters Not Politicians Michigan independent redistricting campaign that got 440,000 signatures in 4 months without paying any signature gatherers, reveals some follicular (and data-supported) tactics for fighting diminishing returns out in canvass-land. Thread… Continue reading