It's Time For a 2021 Gerrymandering Update

[Nevilledog]

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Tokyo Sand
@DHStokyo
This is a big year for the #census and potential for more #gerrymandering. Here's a reader-requested update on where we stand and why next week will be really important in our fight for #FairMaps!

It’s Time For a 2021 Gerrymandering Update
2021 is a big year for the census, redistricting, and who will ultimately be allowed to draw the map lines.
politicalcharge.org
8:30 AM · Feb 24, 2021

https://politicalcharge.org/2021/02/24/its-time-for-a-2021-gerrymandering-update/

I’ve received a bunch of requests for an update on gerrymandering, so here goes.

The Census

As you no doubt know, once the census is completed, each state will begin the once-in-a-decade process of redrawing both the congressional (for the U.S. House of Representatives) and legislative (state Senate and state House) districts. But… the census is delayed.

Yup, the census data was originally supposed to get to the states by April 1 (so they could start the redistricting process), but the Census Bureau announced a couple of weeks ago that that info will now be delayed until September. The two main reasons for the delay: 1) COVID slowed down the ability of census takers to track down and get information, and 2) the Trump administration pushed really hard to exclude non-citizen counting and even though they lost that fight, the Bureau has to make sure that they have collected that data, and that it was tracked properly.

The delay will cause problems in a lot of states — especially those that have state laws requiring that redistricting is completed in the summer (like California). You can find what your state stipulates in terms of timing with this handy chart from the National Committee for State Legislatures.

Redistricting

Even though we have to wait for the redistricting process to start, we do know who is in charge of drawing the lines. This map comes courtesy of Stephen Wolf who has a terrific voting rights newsletter that I’ve been subscribed to for years. (If you’re on Twitter, you can find him at @PoliticsWolf.)

*snip*

[FBaggins]

1. Even if it were constitutional...

... how does the “for the people act” get through the senate?

Let alone this supreme court

[crickets]

2. The map in that article is sobering.

The article also makes a good point that allowing state legislators to draw their own district lines is crazy. Independent commissions or equitable power sharing between the parties would make much more sense.