Redistricting 101

Redistricting 101Justin Levitt

League of Women Voters of Illinois

February 6, 2010

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



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



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)



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



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

Redistricting 101

Documents

redistricting initiatives14

redistricting process

veto state lines

state legislature subject

state house districts

minority population

redraw lines

good district