If you care about political power, representation, or public

policy, then you care about redistricting.

K n o w Yo u r
Lines
Koreatown

Redistricting
and why it matters In 1992, several Los
Angeles neighbor-
hoods were severely
damaged due to social
unrest, including a
Members of Congress, state legislators, and many one-square-mile area
known as Koreatown.
city council and school board members are elected by people When Koreatown
grouped into districts. At least once per decade —usually after residents asked their
elected officials for
the Census—those districts are redrawn. help with recovery
Why? People move. Families efforts, each represen-
tative claimed that the
In the 1960s, the grow. The lines are adjusted to ensure area was part of an-
largest state district in
California had 422 times
that each district has about the same other official’s district.
In fact, the district map
more people than number of people and, as a result, that fractured Koreatown
the smallest state district.
That was before the
each person has an equal say in the gov- into four City Council
Districts and five State
Supreme Court ruled that ernment, as required by the Constitution. Assembly Districts,
political districts must
have roughly equal
But redistricting isn’t simple. which made it easy for
each representative to
populations. Even with equal populations, districts deflect responsibility
can be drawn to give some people more for the community.
Today, there are about
voting power than others.
700, Redistricting can determine who wins an election.
It also affects who controls school boards, city councils, state
000
people in each
legislatures, Congress, and other governing bodies.
Congressional District. Ultimately, redistricting impacts which laws get
passed and which don’t. In other words, it affects all of us.

What does your congressional For everything you ever wanted

district look like? to know about redistricting & more visit:
www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/congress.html www.brennancenter.org/redistricting
 Voters are grouped into politi- Good?
cal districts, with each district electing
a different representative. District lines
can be drawn in an infinite number of A ‘good’ redistricting process helps communities secure meaningful representation.
ways, and how they’re drawn can affect Many states consider ‘communities of interest’ when drawing their
who gets elected. districts. That’s just a term for groups of people who share common social, cultural,
racial, economic, geographic, or other concerns. These groups are likely to have
similar legislative concerns as well, and that means they can benefit from common
representation in the government. This goes much deeper than Republican or
Democrat. A district of farmers, say, and a district of city dwellers will probably
elect representatives that reflect differing histories, priorities, and aspirations.
Other redistricting goals—like keeping a district compact or within county
borders—are usually proxies for keeping communities intact. A good redistricting
process will be open and transparent, allowing communities to ask questions and give
input. This participation is important, since communities are the basic units of well-
designed districts.

Who draws the lines? Bad?

Each state decides who draws the lines. In 1812, Elbridge Gerry, the Cracking Communities Packing Partisans
In most states, the line drawers are poli-
FOR
No other governor of Massachusetts, so they can’t elect their own into one district so the other
democratic nation signed a redistricting plan representative. party wins adjacent districts.
ticians along with hired consultants. allows that would ensure his party’s

SALE Incumbents—elected officials already

in office—have an incentive to create
districts that are likely to reelect them,
sometimes preventing real communities
In 2000, 30 of California’s
32 Democratic members
from being represented.
self-interested
legislators to draw
the lines of the
domination of the Massachu-
setts state senate. An artist
added wings, claws, and a
districts in which they
run for office.
salamander head to the out-
line of a particularly notable
district; the press named the
beast the ‘Gerry-mander.’

of Congress each paid Often, state legislators draw the map, which can be A ‘bad’ redistricting process takes place
$20,000 to the consul-
tant in charge of creating
vetoed by the governor. Some states have special commissions behind closed doors, often at the expense
California’s redistricting that advise legislators on drawing the map, or that serve as of communities.
plan to have him custom-
design their districts
backup mapmakers if the legislature deadlocks. A few states Community borders are some-
to protect their seats. have independent commissions so that politicians and public times ignored to create districts that
‘Twenty thousand is noth-
ing to keep your seat . . . If
officials can’t draw their own districts. increase the odds that specific politi-
my colleagues are smart, Some states try to prevent a single political party cians or parties will win or lose, or that
they’ll pay their $20,000
and the consultant will
from controlling the process. Some don’t, and this can give all incumbents will enjoy ‘safe’ districts.
draw the district they can the party in power a big advantage. In other states, politicians This is commonly referred to
win in. Those who refused
to pay? God help them,’
from both parties simply work together to swap voters and as ‘gerrymandering,’ and it comes in a
explained one legislator. draw districts that keep their reelection ‘safe.’ few different forms, including these:
Eliminating Incumbents Eliminating Challengers
by drawing two into one by drawing them out of the
district. Only one can win! district.

Whoa! For links to every state’s
See why redistricting matters to your community:
redistricting web site, go to:
www.redrawingthelines.org
www.lib.purdue.edu/govdocs/redistricting.html
Find out about groups working on Map your community
redistricting in your state at: with help from the Public Mapping Project:
www.americansforredistrictingreform.org www.publicmapping.org

Shape alone doesn’t The Voting Rights Act
(VRA) is designed to
tell you much eliminate discrimination
What
them into a large number
of districts. Section Five
requires certain states

against minority voters
in the political process.
Two provisions of the
NOW, Get involved! Hold the line drawers accountable LATER, Long-term change can’t wait for 2020. There’s a
and localities with a
history of discriminatory
by paying attention and speaking up. If you do, window of public attention on the redistricting
you can work you can work
voting practices to get

People sometimes associate gerrymander-

VRA are important in
redistricting: Section Two
ing with odd-shaped and uncompetitive prohibits line drawers
from diluting minority
districts. But sometimes there are good voting power by ‘packing’
minority communities
reasons that districts are oddly shaped.
Communities (including minority com-
into a small number of
districts or by ‘cracking’
munities protected by the Voting Rights
Act), geography, and municipal boundar-
‘preclearance’ from the
they will be more likely to address community process in 2011 and 2012. If you want to change
to create to create a
Department of Justice or
a federal court for any interests and less able to manipulate the process the way redistricting works in your state, this is the
better to their own advantage. This is true no matter better time to act! There’s no single process that every
proposed changes to
district lines. If officials
what redistricting process your state uses. Here are state should use to draw districts, but here are some
districts redistricting
violate these sections,
advocates can and should
a few ways to get involved. good ideas from around the country.
process
take legal action!

can
ies don’t always form neat shapes. And Draw
sometimes there are so many members of your own maps!
one political party in an area that no com- Become an expert! Demand diversity!
bination of districts could create strong You can help by Make the data
competition between parties. (Plus, redis- First, learn how redis- drawing maps of your public! A redistricting body
tricting is only one factor among many tricting works in your Attend hearings! community and others with representatives
that determine political competition.) state. You know a lot just you think should be Political and demo- from different com-
In fact, focusing on neat shapes by reading this far! But Several states require kept together. The more graphic data should be munities and interests
or political competition can create the This redistricting proposal, created with a simple algo- you should find out a the line drawers to hold specific the proposals, available to the public in the state can help
same problems as gerrymandering—
rithm, could work if neat lines were the ultimate goal. But
communities don’t fall within neat lines, and proposals
few more details: What public meetings. If the better. Present the throughout the redis- ensure that the final
sometimes intentionally. For example, like this undermine what should be the goal of redistrict- criteria do the line draw- they don’t, you can pres- maps at hearings and tricting process. This district maps reflect the Make it the
ing—meaningful representation for real communities.
ers need to follow when sure the people in charge send them to legislators helps communities state’s diversity. That right size!
shaping districts? What to make sure they do. with petitions or letters participate, and keeps means more communi-
In Mississippi in 1969, districts tricting less subjective, the slicing the country into a neat grid are the opportunities Get as many people as of support. redistricting bodies ac- ties have the chance A redistricting body

for the Hinds County Board of
Supervisors were drawn to
make road and bridge mileage
equal in each district. Ostensi-
bly a way to make the redis-
Hinds county
resulting plan splintered the
African-American community
in the state capitol, Jackson.
A federal court ordered the
lines redrawn.
Jackson
Urban core
I do?
would inevitably split communities and for public participation? you can to come ask countable to the public. for meaningful political of between 7 and 15 is
group voters in ways that benefit one Use the resources in this questions and give input Raise the alarm! representation. usually large enough to
party or another. There might be greater poster to get started! at the meetings, both Require public represent a state’s con-
competition in a district with an even before and after draft If, in the end, the re- hearings! Promote stituencies without get-
mix of farmers and city dwellers—but Educate the media! maps are proposed. districting process still independence! ting unwieldy.
that still might not lead to meaningful breaks up communities, Public hearings —
representation for those communities. The media reports on Join forces! you may be able to take before and after the A well-designed inde- Maintain balance!
Let’s look beyond the symp- the political impact of legal action. These law- maps are drawn — give pendent commission,
toms of gerrymandering. Use the next redistricting, but few There are groups across suits are complicated, the public a chance to with representation A redistricting body
section as a guide for reviewing your reporters and editors the country already but there are experts and ask questions and make from different parties with a balanced number
state’s districts and redistricting process. understand the details. working on redistrict- nonprofit groups that suggestions. Requir- and communities, of members from each
Learn about the concrete steps people You and your allies can ing. Find out which are can help—especially if ing the line drawers to may help ensure that political party can help
around the country are taking to make become the experts the working on it in your a minority community explain their decisions incumbent legislators prevent redistricting
redistricting better. media will rely on to un- area. If no one is, start has been deprived of its also makes it harder for don’t serve only their plans that heavily favor
derstand the process. your own group! political voice. them to hide the ball. own interests. one party.

On April 1 2010: It’s Census day! Hundreds of door-to-door to count those who don’t return In February of 2011, the Census Bureau starts Between 2011 and 2012, states & local govern- Most states finish by 2012 (ME and MT finish in During 2011 and 2012, states hold their primary 2011 through 2013 is the window for long-term identify sympathetic legislators; participate in In 2011 to 2014, the litigation to correct redistrict-
millions of people return forms by mail and more mail forms. sending data to states. ments redistrict. Each state has a different dead- 2013). If legislatures or the commissions don’t elections. Redistricting has to be complete change to the process. During this time be sure to public hearings. ing gone wrong begins. Remember: if you see
than 3.8 million Census workers go line (usually the end of the legislative session). draw in time, the courts step in. before the filing deadline! take part in organized redistricting efforts; something, say something!
 1 Compactness
Arizona’s 2nd District is one
of the most oddly shaped
Congressional Districts in
the United States. What is
happening here? Read on
to find out.

2 Geography
The only obvious geographi-
cal feature in Arizona’s 2nd is
the Colorado River. The river
forms much of the district’s
western borders and con-
nects the two big chunks of Navajo
land in the district. The thin,
river section is largely unpop- 4  Communities of Interest
ulated but was included to Arizona’s 2nd District
satisfy a state requirement preserves discrete commu-
that a district be ‘contigu- Hopi nities of interest in Arizona’s
ous’—that is, a district must sparsely populated North.
be one connected piece of The Hopi reservation is com-
land. Most states have a

AZ
pletely surrounded by the
contiguity requirement like Navajo reservation. Because
this one. of a historic land dispute

2
3  Political Boundaries
The western and northern
borders of the district are
defined by Arizona’s borders
with California, Nevada, and
Utah. The southern part of
the district reaches through
Phoenix’s western suburbs
and even grabs a small piece
of the city itself. But what’s
the strange eastern piece of
between the tribes, it would
be difficult for a single
representative to represent
both tribes. Therefore the
line drawers were careful to
place the Hopi and Navajo
reservations in different
districts. It’s a funny shape,
5  Voting Rights Act but good policy.
Arizona is subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. That
is, because of a history of discriminatory voting practices,
Arizona has to get ‘preclearance’ from the federal government
for any changes to district lines. They must show that district
lines don’t leave protected minority groups worse off than
before. Arizona’s 2nd District definitely takes race and ethnic-
ity into account as one of several factors—it separates the
Hopi and the Navajo tribes—but it does so to reinforce mean-
ingful representation, not to reduce minority voting power.
That means it’s okay under the Voting Rights Act.

Kn
land? That, it turns out, fol-
lows the borders of the Hopi
Phoenix Indian reservation, which
is completely surrounded by

ow
the Navajo Indian reserva-
tion. A-ha!
6 Flexibility
Most of the people in this
large district live in a small
southern section—the

Yo
Co Phoenix suburbs. Without
of mm them, it would be hard for
Int un the district to find enough
ere itie

ur
people to form a full
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1 Compactness the com of n
Texas’s 23rd Congressional District isn’t a circle or et gR gd r fo mu the
he
d ist
igh lut
t
i
ric s Act s min
e rm ni- ir
so
Re
wo distr ilit
y
square, but it appears to be reasonably compact. But what
t i f r i c
accounts for the tendrils in the easternmost part of the n m
g p ay rity o be thy ting
district and the cutaway in the south? Read on to find out. lan allo vo
in c w ting an room but c is a
ou peo be d am for c omp polit
rt. ple st w on o et ica
S ay g co mpro ing p l pro
tha om to nst m rin ce
Tha t spi e pe redis ituen ise amciple ss gu
bu t mig t dist ople trict. cies ong s. The ided
the t it als ht ta rictin advo . Th pr re by
ere inc ha
dis give o ign ke p ma cate g ’s n iple s to
tri
is t cts d an o r o li p s fo os s
h t es ticia ou r rig ing
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lgo
ala s n o r
5  Voting Rights Act nce n inc t wa essa ities f the mput ithms
l y r
s th usiv to y to and pro er.
In 2006, the Supreme Court declared that Texas’s 23rd e c e a ens ma eli ces
rite nd ure ke min s,
District violated the Voting Rights Act. Line drawers aren’t ria tran go go ate
allowed to redistrict in a way that dilutes minority voting list sp od od s
ed are dis
he
power, and the Court found that the redistricting did just that re. nt pr tricts
oc
when it moved about 100,000 Latinos out of the 23rd into ess
an adjacent district. A panel of judges redrew the district to
keep the Latino community together. In the next election, the
incumbent was defeated. Districts matter!

TX 23

San Antonio

2 Geography 4 Communities of Interest 3  Political Boundaries 6  Flexibility

The shape of Texas’s 23rd Though it’s hard to tell by The southern border of This district is predomi-
comes into better focus looking at its shape, Texas’s Texas’s 23rd is the southern nantly rural and one of the
as we look at geographic 23rd District was gerry- border of the United States. largest in land area in the
features. The meander- mandered in 2003 to split, Mexico is on the other side United States. Because of
ing southern border, for or ‘crack’ the Latino commun- of the Rio Grande. The flat its diverse array of commu-
instance, is formed by the ity. The Republican-led northern border of the dis- nities and constituencies,
Rio Grande. redistricting in 2003 traded trict abuts New Mexico, and it’s also one of Texas’s most
the heavily Latino and the jagged northwestern competitive districts.
Democratic-leaning Laredo border follows county lines
for the predominantly white and generally keeps coun-
and Republican-leaning ties intact. The tendrils in the
San Antonio suburbs, East capture San Antonio’s
making Republican victory western suburbs without
more likely. reaching into the city.

Laredo
Making Policy Public is a
program of the Center for
Urban Pedagogy (CUP).
CUP partners with policy
advocates and graphic
designers to produce
foldout posters that ex-
plain complicated policy
issues, like this one.
makingpolicypublic.net
Redistricting affects who gets elected, who controls governing
bodies, and which laws get passed.
We like to think that voters choose their represen-
tatives, but in redistricting, politicians often get to choose
their voters.
Use this publication to learn more about redistrict-
ing. Then you can help ensure that your elected public servants
actually serve their public.

Collaborators THE BRENNAN CENTER WE HAVE PHOTOSHOP

CUP: Christine Gaspar and
John Mangin; The Brennan
Center: Erika Wood, Myrna
Perez, Garima Malhotra,
Justin Levitt, and Bonnie
Ernst; We Have Photoshop:
Michael Gallagher
and Sebastian Campos
THE CENTER FOR URBAN
PEDAGOGY (CUP)
CUP uses design, art, and
visual culture to create
projects that improve the
quality of public participa-
tion in urban planning and
community design.
welcometocup.org
FOR JUSTICE
The Brennan Center for
Justice at New York Univer-
sity School of Law is a non-
partisan public policy and
law institute that focuses on
the fundamental issues of
democracy and justice. Their
work ranges from voting
rights to campaign finance
reform, from racial justice in
criminal law to presidential
power in the fight against
terrorism. A singular institu-
tion—part think tank, part
public interest law firm,
part advocacy group—the
Brennan Center combines
scholarship, legislative and
legal advocacy, and commu-
nications to win meaningful,
measurable change in the
public sector.
www.brennancenter.org
We Have Photoshop was
born in New Haven, Con-
necticut in March 2007 and
received an MFA from Yale
School of Art a couple of
months later. In the short
time since its birth it has
been involved with muse-
ums in midtown Manhattan;
colleges in Brooklyn, Phila-
delphia, and Oslo; multicul-
turalists in northern Italy;
architects and researchers
in New Jersey; and artists in
Chelsea and Brooklyn.
wehavephotoshop.com

BIG THANKS TO
Mike Sayer and Southern Echo, Valeria Mogilevich, Caroline Sykora, Mark Torrey, Sam Holleran,
Kate Suisman, John Arroyo, Sundrop Carter, Rosten Woo, Francis Lam

THE BRENNAN CENTER WOULD LIKE TO THANK

The Joyce Foundation, Democracy Alliance Partners, the Ford Foundation, Open Society
Foundations, the Wallace Global Fund, and an anonymous supporter.

Support for this project was provided by the Nathan Cummings Foundation; public funds from
the National Endowment for the Arts, and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs; the North
Star Fund; and the Union Square Awards.

For the Census guide to redistricting data, go to: Then browse some raw data at:
www.census.gov/rdo factfinder.census.gov