2011 Election Administrators Conference A Redistricting Guide for County Election Official s.

2011 Election Administrators Conference

A Redistricting Guide for County

Election Officials

Redistricting and Reprecincting

Let’s Start with Definitions Election Districts: Election districts

determine what offices a voter may vote for and establishes the residence qualification of candidates for office Examples: Congressional, state

legislative, county council, city and town

Precincts: Areas established for election purposes

Annexation: A legal process whereby a city or town expands its boundaries


Who Establishes Election Districts?

General Assembly must establish new congressional districts and new state legislative districts (Indiana Senate and Indiana House) in 2011 as a result of the 2010 census

County Commissioners establish county commissioner and county council districts in 2011

Cities and towns must establish their own election districts in 2012

If congressional maps go from

this......to this

Or Indiana House Maps go from this...

...to this


It may change the congressional district or state legislative districts in your counties

New precincts may have to be established A precinct may not cross a congressional or

state legislative district line

Voter registration records will have to be altered to reflect any change in a voter’s election districts and precincts

Other district changes may also require changes in precincts and voter records


County Council Redistricting

4 single-member districts/ 3 at-large seats Single member districts are established by Co.

Commissioner Ordinance (IC 36-2-3-4; IC 36-2-3-4.7) Districts must be “compact” subject only to

natural boundaries (roadways, railroads, waterways etc.)

Districts must contain, as nearly as possible, equal population

District boundaries must not cross a precinct boundary

Districts must include whole townships, except when division is clearly necessary to accomplishing redistricting


Lake Co. and St. Joseph County have special provisions


County Commissioner Statutes

3 districts are established by Co. Commissioner Ordinance (IC 36-2-2-4 and 36-2-2-4.7)

Districts must contain “contiguous” territory

Districts must be reasonably “compact”

District boundaries must not cross precinct boundary lines and must divide townships only when a division is clearly necessary to accomplish redistricting(IC 36-2-2-4)


Lake Co. and St. Joseph County have special provisions


District Descriptions in Ordinances

Previously adopted ordinance establishing districts remains in effect for the purpose of filling a vacancy in office until the expiration of the term of that office

A reference in the ordinance to an existing boundary (a precinct, for example) refers to the precinct as it existed on the date of adoption of the ordinance. A change in the precinct boundary after adoption of the ordinance does not alter the boundaries of the election districts established by the ordinance (IC 36-1-6-10)


Additional Definition

• Contiguous: A district may not be divided into two or more pieces by another district.


Each of these districts is contiguous


The light-colored district 2 is not contiguous- It is separated by district 3

.

22

3


Additional Definition

Compact: How tightly packed or spread out is the district? Does the district have jagged

borders?


These districts are all fairly compact


The green-colored district 2 is long and spread out and has many jagged edges- It is not compact.

District 2


Equal Population: The standard measure is total population deviation

Total Population Number of Districts = Ideal Population

Highest District – Lowest District = Total Population Deviation

Total Population Deviation Ideal Population = Percent of Total Population Deviation

10% is only a general guideline - “good faith” may be required Vigo County Republican Central Committee v. Vigo County, 834 F.Supp. 1080 (S.D. Ind. 1993)


Example

999 Total Population 3 Districts = 333 Ideal Population

3 existing districts of 280, 350 and 370

370 (Highest District) – 280 (Lowest District) = 90 Total Population Deviation

90 (Total Population Deviation) 333 (Ideal Population) = 27% (Total Population Deviation)


Census Population Data

To aid in equalizing population you need to obtain census population data (not registered voters) and relate it to geography

Population Data may be obtained directly from the census, state library or local library

Population Data in electronic format may be loaded directly into census blocks in GIS format

U.S. Census Bureau will release block level data starting February, 2011


Sample census block map in one precinct

180459576003028

1


Sample block report with population data


Other Redistricting Factors Communities of interest: recognizable

area with similarities of interest (racial, ethnic, geographic, social, cultural, governmental)

Voting Rights Act: Minority “packing” or “stacking”- redistricting with the intent and/or having the effect of dispersing or concentrating minority population in a manner that dilutes minority representation


ReprecinctingSome changes to precincts may be

required by law if new election districts split precincts A precinct may not cross a congressional,

state senate or state house district boundary

If the 2011 redistricting of these boundaries split your precincts, then you will be required to establish new precinct to avoid the split

A county will be required to modify voter registrations to account for district & precinct changes


Who Establishes Precincts?

Precincts are established by the following people:

The County Commissioners

and

The Indiana Election Division (IED) and, in some cases, the Indiana Election Commission


What is the Process for Establishing Precincts?

The County Commissioners propose a precinct establishment order

IED must approve precincts after staff and Office of Census Data (OCD) review Indiana Election Commission (IEC) will

determine whether to approve precincts if a county voter files a timely objection after IED approval is published by the County

IEC may approve precinct changes if there is not sufficient time for a 10 day objection period



Establishing precincts requires the proper paperworkOrder from the County CommissionersCompleted IEC-8s describing precinct

changesAt some point precinct GIS “shape files”

are laid over census “Tiger Files” that allow census block listing to be printed for each precinct



Establishing precincts involves several steps but the IED can help with sample forms and technical assistance

IED will assign a precinct coordinator (Lori or Ryan) to help guide a county through the process

IED will issue memos along the way (For example, IED will provide specific instructions upon approval of precincts regarding follow-up procedures)


Are Any Precincts Changes Automatic?

Precincts may not be established by any other people or by any other process

Precinct boundaries are not “automatically” altered when the General Assembly or a county, municipality, or school district establishes new election districts

Precincts are not “automatically” altered when a city or town annexes new territory


Precinct Technical Standards

Active Voter limits (IC 3-11-1.5)

When establishing precincts your precincts MUST follow these boundaries and may NEVER cross these boundaries:

No precinct may cross a congressional, state legislative or township boundary

No precinct may cross the state boundary or a county boundary or a township boundary


Precinct Technical StandardsWhen not following mandatory boundaries,

precincts must follow at least one of the following: Census block boundary (small areas of land

created by census bureau for census purposes) City or town boundary, such as council districts School corporation boundary

A Precinct is not required to follow a city or town boundary if it follows another boundary listed (census block, for example)


Related Topic: Municipal Annexation A city or town may annex unincorporated

territory at any time by adopting an ordinance

In general, an annexation is final 90 days after legal publication of the ordinance, if no court challenge (remonstrance) is filed √If remonstrance is filed, the court will

determine if and when annexation is final (IC 36-4-3-11)

Annexation ordinances must be filed with the circuit court clerk and board of registration (IC 36-4-3-22)


Municipal Annexation

Annexation ordinance must assign annexed area to council district in a city or town (if any)

Voters in annexed area are eligible to vote in city or town elections once the annexation is final (IC 3-11-1.5-33)

However, an annexation by a city or town does not “automatically” change any of your precinctsRemember- Only county commissioners

and IED or IEC can change precinct boundaries


Impact of Municipal Annexation on Elections

Your county may consider changing precincts in response to an annexation to help with administering elections for annexed city or town but county is not legally required to change precincts

Either way, an annexation will change the way a county administers the election for the city or town because the annexed voters are entitled to a city or town ballot


Annexation

Covington Precinct 6


Impact of Municipal Annexation on Elections

The registration record of annexed voters must be amended in SVRS when annexation is final to show that the voter is entitled to a city or town ballot

If this impacts 2011 election consider:Changing precinct (if open period); ORAdministering as a “split-precinct” with

pollbook that identifies city or town voters


Precinct Freezes When can you change precinct lines?

Technically, at any time. But the EFFECTIVE DATE must not be during a “precinct freeze”

2011: Freeze starts Feb 1, 2011 and ends November 9, 2011 for precincts in cities and towns only

Precincts outside of cities and towns are not frozen in 2011

If redistricting forces your county to reprecinct then a reprecinting plan should be developed in 2011


2012 is NOT the End of the World….…except in Hollywood. In 2012 we will conduct the first elections

held after state and county level redistricting; there will be a lot of cleanup

Some disasters can be anticipated: ballot distribution or candidate filing errors due to district changes

Best advice for now is to get the most accurate precinct maps together that you can and, if you have a GIS department, make friends with them

2011 Election Administrators Conference A Redistricting Guide for County Election Official s.

Documents