Process of drawing electoral district boundaries in the United States
This article is about the process of determining electoral boundaries in the United States. For the process in other countries, see Redistribution (election).
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Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries.[1] For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each decennial census.[2]
The U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 provides for proportional representation in the House of Representatives. The Reapportionment Act of 1929 required that the number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives be kept at a constant 435, and a 1941 act made the reapportionment among the states by population automatic after every decennial census.[3] Reapportionment occurs at the federal level followed by redistricting at the state level. According to Colegrove v. Green, 328 U.S. 549 (1946), Article I, Section 4 left to the legislature of each state the authority to establish congressional districts;[4] however, such decisions are subject to judicial review.[2][5] In most states redistricting is subject to political maneuvering, but some state legislatures have created independent commissions.[6]
The Uniform Congressional District Act (enacted in 1967) requires that representatives be elected from single-member districts. When a state has a single representative, that district will be state-wide.[7]
Gerrymandering in the redistricting process has been a problem since the early days of the republic.[8] In recent years, critics have argued that redistricting has been used to neutralize minority voting power.[9] Supporters say it enhances electoral competitiveness.[10]
^"Boundary Delimitation Glossary". ACE: The Electoral Knowledge Network. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
^ abGoldman, Ari L. (21 November 1986). "One man, one vote: Decades of court decisions". The New York Times.
^"Apportionment Legislation 1890 – Present". U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. 2008. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010.
^"Proportional Representation". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
^Warren, Earl. "Reynolds v. Sims". Justia. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
^"Who draws the lines?". All About Redistricting. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
^ 2 U.S.C. § 2c
^Griffith, Elmer (1907). The Rise and Development of the Gerrymander. Chicago: Scott Foresman. OCLC 45790508.
^"Gerrymandering could limit minority voters' power even though Census shows population gains". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
^"Why should we care?". All About Redistricting. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
in the redistricting process has been a problem since the early days of the republic. In recent years, critics have argued that redistricting has been...
legislature and a redistricting commission. Though various laws and court decisions have put constraints on redistricting, many redistricting institutions...
online redistricting simulation. Redistricting The Nation uses GIS and web technology to interactively explore redistricting The Redistricting Game –...
Texas redistricting was a controversial intercensus state plan that defined new congressional districts. In the 2004 elections, this redistricting supported...
Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission that redistricting commissions such as Arizona's, whose redistricting commission process is independent...
The Uniform Congressional District Act is a redistricting bill that requires that all members of the United States House of Representatives in the 91st...
Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) comprises two Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent chair. County and local redistricting, which normally...
implement nonpartisan redistricting. Many redistricting reforms seek to remove partisanship to ensure fairness in the redistricting process. The I-cut-you-choose...
control of the redistricting process throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries, with Democrats holding control only in the redistricting cycles following...
Maptitude for Redistricting, the software used by most entities, independent commissions, and political parties involved in redistricting, to devise districts...
full control over the state's redistricting process. The legislature frequently failed to pass congressional redistricting legislation during the first...
in 2020 to amend the state constitution to form a redistricting commission for the 2021 redistricting process. In accordance with Virginia's process for...
Members". Virginia Redistricting Coalition. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. The Public Interest in Redistricting[permanent dead link]...
Carolina 6: Kathy Manning is retiring due to redistricting. North Carolina 13: Wiley Nickel is retiring due to redistricting. North Carolina 14: Jeff Jackson is...
Joseph F. Smith lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Thomas M. Foglietta. Pennsylvania 12: Donald A. Bailey lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent...
September 2012. p. III-2. Retrieved August 8, 2016. "P1. Race: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – All county subdivisions within Michigan". U.S. Census...
Michigan 14: Hansen Clarke lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Gary Peters Missouri 1: Russ Carnahan lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbent Lacy...
the redistricting process for the second decade in a row. On September 14, 2011, Republican senate leadership introduced a congressional redistricting bill...
has nine legislative districts within its boundaries (as of the 2010 redistricting, Ada County has Legislative Districts 14, 15, 16 17, 18, 19, 20, 21...
district, subject to redistricting. Some districts may have no incumbents, while others may have multiple incumbents due to redistricting. Appeared on the...
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is the redistricting commission for the State of California responsible for determining the boundaries...
previously passed bill with the redistricting plan that had just been rejected by the electorate, and signing the redistricting plan into law hours before...
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