

Redistricting
Redistricting
Unfortunately, incumbents often rig the system to benefit themselves, their party and special interest supporters, manipulating voting maps to dictate the outcome of elections. Two sources of discrimination in voting maps are partisan gerrymandering and electoral systems that under-represent people of color. The result is dysfunction, mistrust and public policies that ignore the will of the people.
CLC advances and supports legal cases that address redistricting violations. CLC is also on the front lines in the fight for fair redistricting practices in the states, and continues to promote voters’ rights to fair districts nationwide.
Redistricting Cases and Actions
Congress should pass and President Joe Biden should sign into law the comprehensive set of democracy reforms outlined in H.R. 1 to advance voting rights, strengthen ethics laws, end partisan gerrymandering and decrease the influence of wealthy special interests in our political system.
CLC is challenging North Dakota’s onerous requirements to get North Dakota Voters First’s (NDVF) proposed constitutional amendment before voters. NDVF, CLC’s client, is seeking to implement impartial legislative redistricting and instant runoff voting in North Dakota.
CLC is challenging Arkansas’ onerous requirements to get a ballot initiative before voters. CLC’s client, Arkansas Voters First, is seeking to put an independent redistricting commission on the 2020 ballot.

To create voting maps that truly allow every person’s vote to count fairly, redistricting commissions should play a key role. A CLC report, written in collaboration with the League of Women Voters, highlights how strong ethics provisions for commissions enhances the redistricting process.

A strong majority (60%) of Democrats, Independents and Republicans support the creation of independent redistricting commissions to take voting map drawing out of the hands of self-interested politicians.
Though redistricting has always been a problem in American politics, the outsized role of partisanship in the redistricting process has received unprecedented attention across the nation since 2010. We want to arm legislators, good government advocates and activists with the knowledge needed to design an independent redistricting commission for state legislative or congressional districts.
