California is the largest of a handful of states that are trying to minimize the partisanship in the almost invariably political act of drawing district lines. California has handed that task to the independent and politically balanced California Citizens Redistricting Commission, and Arizona has a somewhat similar commission. Florida has amended its Constitution to forbid partisanship in drawing new districts. Iowa has offloaded the job to the nonpartisan state agency that drafts bills and performs other services for legislators.
The trend has gained momentum in states like Oregon and Ohio, where voters have approved a new commission for redistricting for state seats — but not those in the House of Representatives — in 2021….
But if the impact of partisan gerrymandering is disputed, few doubt that the naked political calculations common in many states can be improved. In California, boundaries are drawn in open meetings, not behind closed doors, and are explained in a handbook. And the line drawers are not politicians but citizens who must write four essays, ace a 90-minute interview and clear a gantlet of background checks and ethics prohibitions to be considered for a seat.
The result, Mr. Forbes said, is that “there aren’t any crazy districts that grab a population that makes no sense.”