Independent or nonpartisan commissions take redistricting away from partisan legislatures and generally produce genuine maps.
Redistricting (Gerrymandering) articles on Democracy Chronicles
Redistricting, also known pejoratively as gerrymandering, refers to manipulation of the redrawing of districts to skew results towards a preferred party or candidate. With changes in population over time as cities grow and shrink, representative democracy requires adjusting border lines between electoral areas. For national elections, the U.S. Constitution outlines the need for a ten-year population count by census for national elections. The 50 states often have their own methods of redistricting. Also see our section on American democracy.
Redistricting Cycle Failed To Increase Representation For Minorities
It may get the most attention, but partisanship is not the only way to measure how fair the country’s new congressional maps are.
State Supreme Courts Are New Venue For Hyperpartisan Redistricting
A new dynamic is in place, one that places states even more at the center of who will control the country and guide [national] policy.
Supreme Court Allows Court-Imposed Voting Maps
State courts had ruled that earlier maps for congressional elections had been warped by partisan gerrymandering. Democrats to benefit.
Republicans Want Courts Out Of Election Cases
The Republicans have fashioned an argument all but unprecedented in two centuries of election-related litigation in the United States.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Decision Win for Voters, More Needed
Governor Evers’ maps respect state, federal redistricting standards, provide better opportunity for Black voters in Milwaukee to participate.
Texas May Have The Worst Gerrymander In The Country
As states redraw districts, Texas’s remap still arguably wins “best in show” for the most potent gerrymander in the country.
Political Extremism And The Decline In Competitive Districts
Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Republican, is more likely to face a threat from a far-right challenger in his redrawn district in Huston.
Latest Moves in the Ohio Redistricting Fight
On January 12, 2022 the Ohio Supreme Court concluded that the General Assembly’s redistricting plans violated Ohio’s Constitution.
Redistricting And Competition In Congressional Elections
There is a rising number of districts that strongly favor one party. It is forces that go far beyond gerrymandering that explain it.