The once-in-a-decade redistricting cycle is in full swing, and wilder than ever. The maps that emerge in the coming months will shape the balance of power in Washington for years to come.
COLUMBUS, Ohio With pending litigation challenging Ohio s recently passed legislative maps, a new project is humanizing the stakes of the redistricting process. The Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments last week from three groups challenging the new Ohio House and Senate district maps as unconstitutional for violating anti-gerrymandering requirements. Jeniece Brock, policy and advocacy director for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and vice chair of the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission, one of the plaintiffs, argued the maps dilute the power of voters in immigrant communities and communities of color. .
SACRAMENTO, Calif. As the California Citizens Redistricting Commission prepares to decide on the final legislative maps, conservation groups are asking communities united by environmental concerns be kept together. The idea is to give voters more influence over the people who have the power to address problems such as industrial air pollution, marine oil spills, drought or wildfire. .
As Democrats across the country blast aggressive Republican gerrymanders as a blatant threat to America’s democratic order, party leaders in two blue states are playing hardball with their own congressional district lines, finalizing plans that co