Although a voting district is, “the wide variety of small polling areas, such as election districts, precincts, or wards, that State and local governments create for the purpose of administering elections”, when discussing redistricting, people are referring to congressional districts.
Every ten years, we have the census count, which gives us information on where people are located, as well as demographic information about the U.S. population at large.
As Latinos, we’ve heard multiple data points come out of the 2010 Census, including that we are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and are contributing to the growth of states which historically have not had large Latino populations.
And even though the Census shows the total U.S. population growing every ten years, the number of representatives in Congress does not increase; it stays at 435. Dividing the total number in the population by 435 gives the average number of people in each congressional district (now just over 700,000).
The boundaries of congressional districts has to shift to make sure that each district has as close to the same number of people as possible, but this redrawing is not intended to be a manipulation of district boundaries to give an advantage to one particular group (political, racial, religious, ethnic, urban, rural, etc.). This manipulation, often in an attempt to keep incumbent elected officials in power, is known as gerrymandering.
Nevertheless, “[t]hat shifting can have important political, economic, and social consequences. That’s what ‘redistricting’ is all about.” more info here
Also due to the Census counts, certain states gain congressional seats, and other states lose them.
Due to the 2010 Census, eight states will gain congressional seats: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington, and ten states will lose congressional seats: Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Interestingly, an analysis by the Gallup polling organization shows: “Each of the 10 states losing congressional seats as a result of the newly announced 2010 census reapportionment process is politically Democratic, based on a Gallup political identification measure from the first six months of this year. Five of the eight states gaining seats skew Republican.”
This could have significant repercussions for the next federal election.
On the other hand, Latinos have been contributing to the growth in the states currently tending Republican. And Latinos tend to vote Democratic, although this is far from an absolute (and we will discuss in other posts).
The Brennan Center for Justice further explains, “The way that district lines are drawn puts voters together in groups — some voters are kept together in one district and others are separated into different districts. And in our system, whichever group has more votes within a district usually decides which representative wins.
The way the lines are drawn can keep a community together or split it apart, changing whether it has representatives who feel responsible for its concerns. The way the lines are drawn can impact who wins an election.
Ultimately, the way the lines are drawn can change who controls the governing body, and can change which policies get passed into law.”
In the past, redistricting techniques have been used to dilute minority voting power. Today, many Latino groups watch redistricting closely and work to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
Who draws the lines varies by state, but communities and individual citizens can influence the redistricting process.
In most states, state legislatures have primary responsibility for drawing district lines.
Nevertheless, many states task bipartisan commissions to work on the redistricting, ostensibly to reduce the possibility of political pressure or interference.
Furthermore, redistricting can be legally challenged. As recently as 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a challenge by the League of United Latin American Citizens of Texas to redistricting done following the 2000 Census.
Citing the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the court ruled by a 5-to-4 majority that one district’s boundaries – District 23 – had to be redrawn because it diluted the voting strength of the majority population of Hispanics.
As we go into an election year in 2012, it behooves all of us to understand what is happening with redistricting, how we can play a role, and watch the political process.
To see some short videos on redistricting and why the process is so important and why you should care, visit Brennancenter.org
What did you know about redistricting? Have you been involved in the process in your area?
Scary: “Each of the 10 states losing congressional seats as a result of the newly announced 2010 census reapportionment process is politically Democratic, based on a Gallup political identification measure from the first six months of this year. Five of the eight states gaining seats skew Republican.”