Category Archives: redistricting

More on the Census Bureau’s collection of administrative citizenship data

March 9, 2019, 11:19 amredistrictingJustin Levitt

The Washington Post goes deeper on this story, of the Census Bureau collecting administrative data (including citizenship information) to bolster household-by-household census results.

Amicus Briefs Supporting Plaintiffs in the MD/NC Partisan Gerrymandering Cases Are In

March 8, 2019, 4:51 pmredistrictingJustin Levitt

At least 31 so far, here (MD) and here (NC).

H.R. 1 Coverage Roundup

March 8, 2019, 11:16 amcampaign finance, conflict of interest laws, election administration, Elections Clause, Fixing Election Administration, legislation and legislatures, redistricting, voter registrationJustin Levitt

AP NPR CBS CNN Fox NBC New York Times Washington Post USA Today Wall St. Journal HuffPost Mother Jones TPM Vox The Hill (and here, and here) Roll Call The Guardian Tampa Bay Times (bonus: zombies!)

House Passes H.R. 1

March 8, 2019, 11:15 amcampaign finance, conflict of interest laws, election administration, Elections Clause, felon voting, Fixing Election Administration, legislation and legislatures, redistricting, voter registration, votingJustin Levitt

Final vote: 234-193. UPDATE: The text of the whole thing [will be] here. (As of 7:30pm ET on 3/8/19, the only text appears to be from an earlier version: the version actually considered is a combination of this… Continue reading

Pushback to the 2018 Missouri redistricting citizens’ initiative

March 7, 2019, 11:47 ampolitical parties, redistrictingJustin Levitt

The Springfield News-Leader reports: Last fall, Missouri voters approved a one-of-a-kind plan to root out partisan gerrymandering with 62 percent of the vote. Republicans unhappy with the changes are now trying to roll them back. Five GOP lawmakers, including… Continue reading

“Ahead of court ruling, Census Bureau seeks citizenship data”

March 6, 2019, 6:14 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtJustin Levitt

The AP has more on the latest at the Census Bureau. I think this is an effort to gather the administrative data that Census employees said would be more effective at assessing statistical citizenship rates, with fewer downsides for public… Continue reading

“Second Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Census Citizenship Question Plans”

March 6, 2019, 3:09 pmchicanery, redistricting, Supreme Court, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

Big (and voluminous) news from California: in a 126-page opinion, Judge Seeborg has enjoined the inclusion of a question regarding citizenship on the 2020 census. The decision follows on Judge Furman’s opinion out of New York, but is more… Continue reading

Stay of NC State Ct Order Voiding Voter ID Amendment Because Enacted by Impermissibly Gerrymandered Legislature

March 6, 2019, 3:03 pmredistricting, voter idJustin Levitt

On February 22, Rick noted that a North Carolina state trial court had voided a constitutional amendment pertaining to voter ID, because the amendment had been put on the ballot by a legislature elected pursuant to an unconstitutional gerrymander. … Continue reading

“Fighting Gerrymandering in 2021”

March 6, 2019, 3:00 pmredistrictingJustin Levitt

Calling the hipsters at SXSW: I got an idea for your Friday afternoon.

Plaintiffs’ Merits Brief in Maryland Redistricting Case

March 5, 2019, 7:01 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

From Plaintiffs-Appellees’ Brief filed in the Supreme Court yesterday: A State may not inhibit “the political participation of some in order to enhance the relative influence of others.” McCutcheon v. FEC, 572 U.S. 185, 191 (2014). Given this insuperable principle,… Continue reading

Merits Briefs in N.C. Gerrymandering Case

March 4, 2019, 12:00 pmredistrictingDan Tokaji

Plaintiffs-Appellees have filed their briefs in Rucho v. Common Cause/League of Women Voters. From the Common Cause plaintiffs’ brief: The 2016 North Carolina Congressional Plan (“2016 Plan” or “Plan”) is the most overt, and likely the… Continue reading

Holder Says He Won’t Run for President, Will Focus on Redistricting

March 4, 2019, 6:40 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

WaPo op-ed: Though I will not run for president in 2020, I will continue to fight for the future of our country through the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates. For too long, Democrats have lost sight of… Continue reading