Table of Contents
Do congressional districts have to be equal in population?
Congressional districts are the 435 areas from which members are elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Each congressional district is to be as equal in population to all other congressional districts in a state as practicable.
What are the Gingles factors?
Under the Gingles test, plaintiffs must show the existence of three preconditions:
- The racial or language minority group “sufficiently large and geographically compact to constitute a majority in a single-member district”;
- The minority group is “politically cohesive” (meaning its members tend to vote similarly); and.
How does the Voting Rights Act affect redistricting?
Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, a change affecting voting, such as a redistricting plan, may not be used by a covered jurisdiction unless that jurisdiction can show that the change has neither a discriminatory purpose nor will have a discriminatory effect.
What is a majority minority congressional district?
A majority-minority district is an electoral district, such as a United States congressional district, in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities (as opposed to Non-Hispanic whites in the U.S.).
What is the tanner proposal?
Introduced in House (01/03/2019) John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act. This bill establishes requirements regarding congressional redistricting, including that redistricting plans must be developed by an independent redistricting commission.
What is the Freedom to Vote Act?
Introduced in Senate (09/14/2021) This bill addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting).
Who is usually in control of redistricting?
In 25 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to approval by the state governor.