26
Redistricting 101 Justin Levitt League of Women Voters of Illinois February 6, 2010
Redistricting 101Justin Levitt
League of Women Voters of Illinois
February 6, 2010
Today’s conversation
• What?• Why?• Who?• Where?• How?
Today’s conversation
• What?• Why?• Who?• Where?• How?
What is “redistricting”?
Draw (and re-draw) lines that determine which voters are represented by each legislative seat
• Federal• State• Local
Why re-draw district lines?
• Population moves, creating lopsided districts where some votes are worth more than others
Constitutional mandate to redraw lines
• Districts have to have roughly equal population
Baker v. Carr, 1962
“One person, one vote”
2000 ―2001 ―
2010 ―2011 ―
2020 ―2021 ―
And so…Census DayRedistricting
Census DayRedistricting
Census DayRedistricting
Today’s conversation
• What?• Why?• Who?• Where?• How?
Blunt measure #1: voter choice
drawn favoring one party
by about 30%
had no major-party challenger in 2002
~40% of state House districts
~50% of state Senate districts
Campaign Finance
Term Limits
Redistricting
Source: Michael McDonald & John Samples, The Marketplace of Democracy 14
But redistricting is only part of the process
Blunt measure #2: shape
Is this a good district?
You can’t know if a district is “good,” unless you know what it’s trying to achieve
Is she a good singer?
Why does redistricting matter?
• Politicians choosing their voters• Eliminating incumbents or
challengers
• Diluting minority votes• Splitting up communities
BarackObama
’shouse
2000
2002
Today’s conversation
• What?• Why?• Who?• Where?• How?
Who draws the lines in Illinois
• Congress: State legislature (subject to veto)
• State lines: State legislature (subject to veto)
and if no agreement, backup comm’n
- eight members (chosen by legislative leaders)
- one random tiebreaker (out of Lincoln’s hat)
Today’s conversation
• What?• Why?• Who?• Where?• How?
The Voting Rights Act• Do minorities represent most
of the voters in a concentrated area?
• Do whites vote for different candidates than minorities?
• Is the minority population otherwise protected given the “totality of the circumstances”?
Do Not Dilute
After federal law, add Illinois limitations
State legislature:
• Contiguity
• Compactness
• Nesting
Congress:
• No state limits
Today’s conversation
• What?• Why?• Who?• Where?• How?
What can I do?
Influencing redistricting (short-term)
• Educate your community• Identify and map community
boundaries• Attend hearings• Show where the boundaries should
be
The need for public educationPolls on redistricting initiatives
• 14% were dissatisfied with redistricting process,
13% were satisfied, 70% had no opinion
• 62-71% felt redistricting unconnected to their lives
Help connect the dots• Politicians choosing their voters
• Packing districts to win political control
• Eliminating incumbents
• Eliminating challengers
• Diluting minority votes
• Splitting up communities
“Communities of interest” help keep legislators responsive
Kansas :
“Social, cultural, racial, ethnic, and economic interests common to the population of the area, which are probable subjects of legislation . . .”
Can and should be different in different parts of the state
Mapping community boundaries
Justin [email protected]
Brennan Center for Justicewww.brennancenter.org
Citizen’s Guide to Redistrictingwww.tinyurl.com/citizensguide
Further information
