Senate OKs bill increasing redistricting plan transparency
2 years, 10 months ago

Senate OKs bill increasing redistricting plan transparency

Associated Press  

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a measure that seeks to create more transparency around the state’s redistricting process following last year’s chaotic final hours of work that led to complaints its deliberations may have violated open meetings laws. In December, the state Supreme Court said the plan adopted by the Washington Redistricting Commission “substantially complied” with statutory deadlines and declined to adopt a new redistricting plan for the state. Two weeks ago, a Latino civil rights organization and others filed a federal lawsuit, saying that the new political maps intentionally dilute Hispanic voters’ influence. The suits, which sought to bypass the lower courts and get a direct review from the higher court, argued the legislative and congressional maps must be invalidated because commissioners violated open meeting laws, negotiated secretly for hours before the Nov. 15 deadline and hurriedly voted on new boundaries that were not publicly displayed or debated.

Court Washington Senate State Redistricting House Vote Commission Maps  redistricting  court  legislative  washington  bill  transparency  commission  hours  vote  increasing  senate  state  oks  voted  plan  maps

History of this topic

THINGS TO KNOW: Deadline looms for new map in embattled North Dakota redistricting lawsuit
1 year ago

THINGS TO KNOW: Deadline looms for new map in embattled North Dakota redistricting lawsuit

Associated Press  

BISMARCK, N.D. — The clock is running out on a Friday deadline for North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature to draw new legislative boundaries compliant with the Voting Rights Act for two Native American tribes who successfully sued for new lines. A federal judge last month ruled that the state’s 2021 redistricting map violates the landmark 1965 civil rights law in diluting …

North Carolina Republicans pitch Congress maps that could help them pick up 3 or 4 seats next year
1 year, 2 months ago

North Carolina Republicans pitch Congress maps that could help them pick up 3 or 4 seats next year

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Republicans on Wednesday pitched new maps for the state’s congressional districts starting in 2024 that appear to threaten the reelection of at least three current Democratic U.S. House members. Senate redistricting committee leaders introduced two proposals that would rework the boundary lines for the state’s 14 U.S. House seats. “That’s a hard decision for the …

Group: N.C. request for redistricting rehearing ‘frivolous’
1 year, 10 months ago

Group: N.C. request for redistricting rehearing ‘frivolous’

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — An advocacy group that sued over redistricting lines in North Carolina told state Supreme Court justices Monday that previous rulings that blocked legislative and congressional district maps as illegal partisan gerrymanders should be left intact. Common Cause filed a response to Republican General Assembly leaders’ request earlier this month that the state’s highest court rehear redistricting lawsuits. …

NC Supreme Court OKs speeding up redistricting arguments
2 years, 4 months ago

NC Supreme Court OKs speeding up redistricting arguments

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — In another remapping decision along partisan leanings, the North Carolina Supreme Court has agreed to speed up arguments on further challenges to the boundaries for the state’s legislative seats and congressional districts. But the order said expediting all redistricting appeals was based on “the great public interest in the subject matter of this case, the importance of …

Legislators ask more time to comply with redistricting order
2 years, 6 months ago

Legislators ask more time to comply with redistricting order

Associated Press  

Louisiana’s legislative leaders are asking for at least 10 more days to comply with a federal judge’s order to redraw congressional districts so two have Black majorities. Also Tuesday, a federal appeals court scheduled arguments July 8 about Judge Shelly Dick’s ruling that the current districts violate the Voting Rights Act. “There are 144 legislators in the State Legislature, and …

Judge declines to toss New York Assembly redistricting maps
2 years, 7 months ago

Judge declines to toss New York Assembly redistricting maps

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — A New York judge refused Wednesday to throw out new political maps setting the boundaries of state Assembly districts, saying even though they were drafted improperly, opponents had waited too long to join the lawsuit challenging them in court. Previous court rulings struck down the party’s favored new maps for state Senate and U.S. House districts as …

Missouri House passes new congressional redistricting plan
2 years, 7 months ago

Missouri House passes new congressional redistricting plan

Associated Press  

— With time running short, the Missouri House on Monday passed a newly proposed map for the state’s eight congressional districts that — if the Senate agrees — could be used in elections later this year. Though Republicans hold large majorities in the state Capitol, Missouri is one of the last states still struggling to enact a congressional redistricting plan …

Mississippi House and Senate OK each other’s redistricting
2 years, 8 months ago

Mississippi House and Senate OK each other’s redistricting

Associated Press  

— The Mississippi House and Senate on Thursday approved each other’s redistricting plans that are likely to maintain Republican majorities in each chamber. The 122 House districts and 52 Senate districts are updated each decade to account for population changes shown by the Census. Two House districts in areas with stagnant population in north Mississippi are being moved to areas …

Mississippi House, Senate pass separate redistricting plans
2 years, 8 months ago

Mississippi House, Senate pass separate redistricting plans

Associated Press  

— The Mississippi House and Senate voted by wide margins Tuesday to approve separate plans to redraw legislative districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census. “The proposed maps vastly underrepresent Mississippi’s Black population and, we fear, are drawn to dilute Black voting strength,” the ACLU said in a statement. One of Sojourner’s allies, Republican Sen. Chris …

Political mapmaking body approves previously rejected plan
2 years, 8 months ago

Political mapmaking body approves previously rejected plan

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The next set of proposed boundaries for new state legislative districts has arrived at the Ohio Supreme Court, which must decide for the fourth time whether the maps are constitutionally sound. The likelihood of the court approving those maps already appeared uncertain, after the state’s political mapmaking body created them late Monday from a previously rejected set …

Mississippi reveals redistricting for state House and Senate
2 years, 8 months ago

Mississippi reveals redistricting for state House and Senate

Associated Press  

— Mississippi legislators on Sunday unveiled plans to redraw the state House and Senate districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census. Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby of Pearl said Sunday that the Senate redistricting plan keeps the same number of Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning districts as now. Historical voting patterns in Mississippi show districts with higher …

Judicial panel unveils tentative new map for Missouri Senate
2 years, 9 months ago

Judicial panel unveils tentative new map for Missouri Senate

Associated Press  

— A judicial panel in charge of redrawing Missouri’s Senate districts released a tentative plan Monday, giving candidates and voters a look at new boundaries that could be used beginning later this year. Missouri’s 34 Senate districts are being drawn by a judicial panel because Republicans and Democrats on a politically balanced citizens commission failed to agree on a plan …

Court rejects GOP redistricting plans in NC, Pennsylvania
2 years, 9 months ago

Court rejects GOP redistricting plans in NC, Pennsylvania

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — In a victory for Democrats, the Supreme Court has turned away efforts from Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania to block state court-ordered congressional districting plans. In separate orders late Monday, the justices are allowing maps selected by each state’s Supreme Court to be in effect for the 2022 elections. The justices provided no explanation for their actions, …

Missouri Senate looks for ‘magic path’ on redistricting
2 years, 10 months ago

Missouri Senate looks for ‘magic path’ on redistricting

Associated Press  

— Meeting in a rare Saturday session, Missouri senators searched for what the chamber’s leader described as a “magic path” toward resolving a weeklong filibuster against a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts. “With all of the people that have an interest in this map pulling in multiple different directions, we’re still trying to find that magic path that …

Criticism resumes of proposed redistricting maps in Virginia
3 years ago

Criticism resumes of proposed redistricting maps in Virginia

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Some residents and politicians criticized proposed redistricting maps for Virginia on Friday, telling the state’s Supreme Court that many communities would see their voting strength diluted by seemingly arbitrary political boundaries. Virginia’s Supreme Court is redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative maps after a new bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree on maps earlier this year. Maurice …

Washington state panel fails to draw new political maps
3 years, 1 month ago

Washington state panel fails to draw new political maps

Associated Press  

SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington state’s bipartisan redistricting commission failed to meet its deadline for redrawing political maps, meaning the task will now be taken up by the state Supreme Court. “Last night, after substantial work marked by mutual respect and dedication to the important task, the four voting commissioners on the state redistricting commission were unable to adopt a districting …

GOP-led Wisconsin Senate OKs their own redistricting plan
3 years, 1 month ago

GOP-led Wisconsin Senate OKs their own redistricting plan

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin state Senate on Monday approved a redistricting plan similar to one passed a decade ago in an apparent attempt to hold the line on GOP majorities in the Legislature. Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson, of Milwaukee, described the GOP-drawn maps as “an abortion of democracy,” and said the maps are based on a “newfound …

Redistricting options from NC senators released to public
3 years, 2 months ago

Redistricting options from NC senators released to public

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — After two weeks of mapmaking in open meeting rooms, North Carolina senators have presented some proposals to the public on how they might redraw congressional or state Senate district lines for the next decade. The Senate Redistricting Committee posted several maps online that Republicans or Democrats have produced this month at computer terminals set up in the …

Michigan redistricting commission to vote on draft maps
3 years, 2 months ago

Michigan redistricting commission to vote on draft maps

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — After seven weeks of mapping, Michigan’s new redistricting commission is starting to vote on much-anticipated draft congressional and legislative plans. In early November, the commission of four Democrats, four Republicans and five members who affiliate with neither major party plans to vote on proposed maps and — following a 45-day comment period — adopt final maps by …

Republicans brush off critics, approve Indiana redistricting
3 years, 2 months ago

Republicans brush off critics, approve Indiana redistricting

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Republican lawmakers gave final approval Friday to their party’s redrawing of Indiana’s congressional and legislative districts, brushing aside objections that the maps give them an excessive election advantage and dilute the influence of minority and urban voters. Democrats and civil rights groups countered by pointed to the fragmenting of Fort Wayne’s large Black and Latino communities among three …

Ohio lawmakers set to miss another redistricting deadline
3 years, 2 months ago

Ohio lawmakers set to miss another redistricting deadline

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — State lawmakers in Ohio will miss their initial Thursday deadline for redrawing the state’s congressional district maps for the next decade, a key lawmaker says. The lapse predicted by Senate President Matt Huffman punts the job to the Ohio Redistricting Commission, a newly created panel already facing criticism and lawsuits challenging the fairness of the new map …

Republicans push redistricting plan through Indiana House
3 years, 3 months ago

Republicans push redistricting plan through Indiana House

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Republicans forced their redistricting plan for congressional and legislative seats through the Indiana House on Thursday, casting aside objections that the new maps lock in an excessive partisan advantage for the GOP for another decade. Democrats argued the Republicans were using gerrymandering — drawing districts to favor a particular party — to cement supermajorities in the Legislature, giving …

Republicans move toward quick Indiana redistricting approval
3 years, 3 months ago

Republicans move toward quick Indiana redistricting approval

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Republicans turned aside objections from Democrats as they moved ahead Monday toward speedy approval of proposed new Indiana election district maps that will be used for the next 10 years. The Indiana House elections committee voted 9-4 along party lines to endorse the Republican-drawn redistricting plan for the state’s nine congressional districts and 100 state House seats based …

New redistricting commissions splinter along partisan lines
3 years, 3 months ago

New redistricting commissions splinter along partisan lines

Associated Press  

When voters in some states created new commissions to handle the politically thorny process of redistricting, the hope was that the bipartisan panelists could work together to draw new voting districts free of partisan gerrymandering. The prospects of that increased last week, when Democrats and Republicans on the commission failed to agree and instead released competing versions of new maps …

Ohio redistricting panel OKs 4-year plan along party lines
3 years, 3 months ago

Ohio redistricting panel OKs 4-year plan along party lines

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The powerful new redistricting panel in Ohio failed on Wednesday to reach the bipartisan consensus necessary to pass a 10-year map of state legislative districts based on 2020 census totals. After hours of negotiations ahead of a midnight deadline, the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved new district boundaries purely along party lines. The two Democrats on the panel …

Redistricting session set for Oct. 5; court OKs more time
3 years, 3 months ago

Redistricting session set for Oct. 5; court OKs more time

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday set a special legislative session for Oct. 5 to approve redrawn legislative and congressional district maps, and the chief justice of the state Supreme Court signed an order giving lawmakers extra time to complete their task. Also Tuesday, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen signed an order allowing the …

Native Americans draft redistricting proposals in New Mexico
3 years, 3 months ago

Native Americans draft redistricting proposals in New Mexico

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — Native American communities across New Mexico are putting the finishing touches on proposed redistricting maps aimed at greater self-determination in future public elections, as competing plans wind their way toward the Legislature for consideration. Participants in a redistricting commission for New Mexico’s Indigenous pueblo communities said Friday that map proposals may be finalized as soon as …

South Dakota lawmakers start speedy redistricting process
3 years, 3 months ago

South Dakota lawmakers start speedy redistricting process

Associated Press  

— South Dakota lawmakers tasked with redrawing the state’s political boundaries set a framework Monday that will allow them to speed through the once-in-a-decade process on a tight schedule this year. The two committees responsible for drawing the new legislative districts began their work in earnest Monday after the U.S. Census Bureau released detailed data earlier this month. Republican lawmakers …

Michigan redistricting panel OKs mapping process, schedule
3 years, 4 months ago

Michigan redistricting panel OKs mapping process, schedule

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s redistricting commission on Thursday approved a process and schedule to draft, propose and ultimately adopt congressional and legislative maps by year’s end. The 10-2 vote came after commissioners changed course and decided to initially bounce between crafting U.S. House, state Senate and state House districts rather than go one at a time. We’ve just got to …

Iowa official says expect first redistricting maps Sept. 16
3 years, 4 months ago

Iowa official says expect first redistricting maps Sept. 16

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — The first Iowa redistricting maps will be delivered on Sept. 16 beginning the process for redrawing political boundaries for legislative and congressional districts, a state official said Tuesday. The nonpartisan Iowa Legislative Services Agency received updated software and U.S. Census Bureau data from a state vendor on Monday and will begin drawing new maps, said Ed …

Senate leader expects SC redistricting to finish by October
3 years, 5 months ago

Senate leader expects SC redistricting to finish by October

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The process to draw new districts for South Carolina House and Senate seats as well as the U.S. House kicked off Tuesday with senators hopeful the whirlwind of map drawing, negotiations, public hearings and final vote will take less than four months. The Senate’s redistricting subcommittee agreed Tuesday at its first meeting to hold 10 public hearings …

Michigan court won’t extend voting redistricting deadline
3 years, 5 months ago

Michigan court won’t extend voting redistricting deadline

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich — The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday denied a request to extend the deadline for drawing new legislative and congressional maps despite a delay in census redistricting data. The commission was established by voters in 2018 to limit gerrymandering by having randomly selected Michigan residents, representing balanced political alignments, draw voting district boundaries every 10 years instead of …

Activists seek 30-day review of Indiana redistricting plan
3 years, 7 months ago

Activists seek 30-day review of Indiana redistricting plan

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Voting rights activists on Wednesday urged Indiana legislative leaders to give the public at least a month to review proposed new congressional and state election district maps before they are finalized. Members of the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission organized by Common Cause and other groups released a report calling for greater public involvement in the once-a-decade redrawing of …

Indiana lawmakers plan redistricting session later this year
3 years, 8 months ago

Indiana lawmakers plan redistricting session later this year

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana lawmakers have approved a plan for returning to the Statehouse later this year in order to approve new election districts. The House and Senate both voted Thursday in favor of a bill extending the current legal deadline for adjourning this year’s legislative session from April 29 until Nov. 15. Legislative leaders say they plan to end this …

Indiana lawmakers planning on return for redistricting votes
3 years, 8 months ago

Indiana lawmakers planning on return for redistricting votes

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana lawmakers won’t be done for the year when their regular legislative session ends later this month. Legislative leaders are laying the groundwork for a return by all 150 lawmakers to Indianapolis months from now to approve new congressional and General Assembly districts based on data from last year’s census. Provisions included in the state budget bill would …

Discover Related