Category Archives: redistricting

“Redistricting Likely to Hamper Democratic Efforts in 2014, Study Finds”

April 27, 2013, 6:37 pmalternative voting systems, redistrictingRick Hasen

NYT’s The Caucus: Thanks largely to the way Congressional districts were drawn in the latest round of redistricting, even a dramatic wave election like the one in 2008 that swept President Obama into power and added to Democratic majorities… Continue reading

“FairVote Releases Projections for the 2014 Congressional Elections”

April 26, 2013, 7:42 amalternative voting systems, redistrictingRick Hasen

Press release: “As part of its biennial Monopoly Politics series on the overriding dominance of partisanship in controlling the outcomes of American congressional elections, FairVote today released its initial projections for its Monopoly Politics 2014 report. The report projects… Continue reading

“Redistricting Board asks Supreme Court to clarify ruling”

April 25, 2013, 8:50 amcitizen commissions, redistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Anchorage Daily News: “The Alaska Redistricting Board has gone once again to the Alaska Supreme Court, this time asking the justices to clarify whether an earlier ruling requires it to redraw all of Alaska’s legislative districts from scratch.” MORE:… Continue reading

“Did Gerrymandering Cost Dems the House? A 33-State Look at Alternative Nonpartisan Maps Suggests Yes”

April 24, 2013, 5:29 pmcitizen commissions, redistrictingRick Hasen

Stephen Wolf posts an interesting diary entry at Daily Kos.

“The Republican Advantage: The decline of swing districts and the rise of partisanship spells trouble for House Democrats.”

April 14, 2013, 9:02 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarization, redistrictingRick Hasen

Charlie Cook: By now, the trend lines are clear. In 1998, we found 164 swing seats—districts within 5 points of the national partisan average, with scores between R+5 and D+5 (a score of R+5 means the district’s vote for… Continue reading

“Lawmakers: Tackle Redistricting or Wait for Courts?”

April 13, 2013, 1:26 pmDepartment of Justice, redistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Ross Ramsey for the Texas Tribune: Greg Abbott is selling a redistricting nostrum, telling Texas legislators they could cut their legal risks by adopting new political maps right away. It is a hard sell. Lawmakers are getting along so well… Continue reading

“Judge rules against complaint about Pennsylvania redistricting plan”

April 9, 2013, 7:52 amredistrictingRick Hasen

News from Pa: “A federal district court judge denied a Latino group’s request for injunctive relief and dismissed its complaint regarding the legislative reapportionment plan in Pennsylvania.”

“The G.O.P.’s Diversity Deserts”

March 30, 2013, 2:02 pmpolitical parties, political polarization, redistrictingRick Hasen

Charles Blow: “Too many House Republican districts are isolated in naturally homogeneous areas or gerrymandered ghettos, so elected officials there rarely hear — or see — the great and growing diversity of this country and the infusion of energy and… Continue reading

“Hiroshima Court Rules Election Invalid”

March 25, 2013, 1:05 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

WSJ: “In a landmark ruling Monday, a Hiroshima court ruled the results of the December lower-house election invalid in two districts due to the disproportionate weighting of votes in those districts.”

“California Nonpartisan Districting Ousts Life Incumbents”

March 20, 2013, 8:52 amcitizen commissions, redistrictingRick Hasen

Bloomberg reports.

“Republicans Win Congress as Democrats Get Most Votes”

March 19, 2013, 7:27 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Bloomberg reports.

“Republicans Foil What Majority Wants by Gerrymandering”

March 18, 2013, 8:09 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Extensive Bloomberg report, and extensive graphics, focusing on gerrymandering in Michigan.

“New court filing: Documents were deleted from GOP redistricting computers”

March 13, 2013, 10:21 pmchicanery, redistrictingRick Hasen

JS Online: Documents were deleted from state redistricting computers last year even after a lawyer for the Legislature told lawmakers’ aides to preserve all records on the computers, according to documents filed Wednesday in federal court. Nine hard drives… Continue reading