Category Archives: redistricting

“Map by Map, G.O.P. Chips Away at Black Democrats’ Power”

December 19, 2021, 9:12 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

NYT: Mr. Reives is one of a growing number of Black elected officials across the country — ranging from members of Congress to county commissioners — who have been drawn out of their districts, placed in newly competitive districts… Continue reading

“Column: Are Californians chumps to play fair on congressional redistricting?”

December 16, 2021, 7:07 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Mark Z. Barabak LAT column.

New Political Maps May Kill Swing Districts, But Swing Districts May Not Save Us

December 13, 2021, 2:33 pmpolitical parties, redistrictingPolitical Accountability, Political ResponsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Wall Street Journal is not the first to lament that the 2021 redistricting cycle is not likely to produce very many competitive districts. But how much should we care? The call for competitive elections presumes that electoral accountability emerges… Continue reading

Sellers: The 2021 Redistricting Cycle Will Disparately Impact Black Communities

December 9, 2021, 7:59 amredistrictingNew ScholarshipTabatha Abu El-Haj

Joshua Sellers’ new article “Race, Reckoning, Reform, and the Limits of the Law of Democracy” is a timely reminder to all of us that the consequences of redistricting are not just about the health of our democracy. Partisan… Continue reading

Pennsylvania Republicans Offer Citizen’s Map as Starting Point for Congressional Redistricting

December 9, 2021, 6:18 amredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

In an unexpected move, the Republican chair of the Pennsylvania House Committee on redistricting is planning to debate a citizen map as the starting point for the commonwealth’s congressional redistricting negotiations. The “citizen map” chosen by State Rep. Seth… Continue reading

Breaking: DOJ Sues the State of Texas under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act for Its Redistricting Plan, Claiming Dilution of African-American and Latino Voting Strength

December 6, 2021, 10:59 amDepartment of Justice, redistricting, Uncategorized, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

The complaint targets both congressional districts and the Texas House. More coverage later from Nick Stephanopoulos, who is primary ELB blogger this week.

“NC judges won’t block primary election preparation over redistricting cases”

December 3, 2021, 3:21 pmredistrictingpartisan gerrymander, state courtsTabatha Abu El-Haj

News and Observer The three-judge panel in North Carolina charged with reviewing the challenge to the state’s new maps refused today to grant a preliminary injunction blocking the congressional and legislative maps approved last month . The decision can and… Continue reading

Texas’ bid to dismiss challenge to its maps fails

December 3, 2021, 2:57 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActTabatha Abu El-Haj

Three-judge district court panel rejects Texas’ preposterous argument that VRA precludes private enforcement of Section 2. I love the wry sarcasm, “it would be ambitious indeed for a district court-even a three judge court-to deny a private right of action… Continue reading

Breaking–“Washington Supreme Court declines to redraw political maps, accepts redistricting commission’s work”

December 3, 2021, 10:41 amredistrictingindependent redistricting commissionsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Seattle Times “The Washington Supreme Court will not exercise its authority to redraw the state’s congressional and legislative district maps, leaving in place the work of the bipartisan redistricting commission.In a unanimous ruling Friday, the court found the commission had… Continue reading

“How the Suburbs Have Changed Gerrymandering”

December 2, 2021, 6:52 pmredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Maggie Astor, N.Y. Times, writes that “Republican gerrymandering efforts used to focus mainly on diluting the influence of cities,” but this cycle the focus is also on cracking the political power of the suburbs. The article notes, further, that… Continue reading

Dec. 3 virtual event: “Self-districting: the ultimate antidote to gerrymandering.”

December 2, 2021, 6:38 amredistrictingEventsTabatha Abu El-Haj

On Friday, Dec. 3, at 1:30 PM ET the Princeton Gerrymandering Project / Electoral Innovation Lab will present a virtual Academic Talk over Zoom with Edward Foley, Charles W. Ebersold and Florence Whitcomb Ebersold Chair in Constitutional Law, the Director… Continue reading

Ohio’s Maps Challenged in State Court

December 1, 2021, 7:42 amredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

The ACLU, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute are challenging Ohio’s new Republican-drawn congressional map as an illegal gerrymander. The suit filed with the Ohio Supreme Court yesterday argues that the adopted maps… Continue reading

Update Breaking News–Wisconsin Redistricting

November 30, 2021, 2:57 pmredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

J.R. Ross, Editor of WisPolitics.com, reports on Twitter that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has rule “it will NOT consider partisan balance in drawing new lines for the Legislature, Congress and will make the ‘minimum changes necessary’ to the current… Continue reading

“New maps spark debate over majority-minority districts”

November 25, 2021, 12:46 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AP: For decades, the widely accepted strategy was to group together Black voters so they comprised a majority in a statehouse or congressional district. That principle was enshrined in the federal Voting Rights Act, which requires the creation of… Continue reading