2010 United States redistricting cycle

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The '''2010 United States redistricting cycle''' took place following the completion of the [[2010 United States Census]]. In all fifty states, various bodies re-drew [[State legislature (United States)|state legislative]] districts. States that are [[United States congressional apportionment|apportioned]] more than one seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]] also drew new districts for that legislative body. The resulting new districts were first implemented for the [[2011 United States elections|2011]] and [[2012 United States elections|2012]] elections.

The rules for redistricting vary from state to state, but all states draw new legislative and congressional maps either in the state legislature, in [[redistricting commission]]s, or through some combination of the state legislature and a redistricting commission. Though various laws and court decisions have put constraints on redistricting, many redistricting institutions continue to practice [[gerrymandering]], which involves drawing new districts with the intention of giving a political advantage to specific groups.<ref>Miller, pp. 10-11</ref> Political parties prepare for redistricting years in advance, and partisan control of redistricting institutions can provide a party with major advantages.<ref name="miller1">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> the districts drawn in the 2010 redistricting cycle will remain in effect until the [[2020 United States redistricting cycle|next round of redistricting]] following the [[2020 United States Census]].

==Results of the 2010 cycle==

As Republicans had made significant gains in the [[2010 United States state legislative elections|2010 state legislative elections]], the [[Republican State Leadership Committee]] established a program called [[REDMAP]] in order to draw legislative, congressional and other district maps to ensure Republican victories in future elections. Among the strategists involved in the drawing of favorable maps was [[Thomas Hofeller]].

Democrats were particularly unhappy with the results of the [[United States House elections, 2012|2012 House elections]] in which Democratic candidates for the U.S. House received more votes than Republican House candidates, but Republicans retained control of the chamber.<ref name="elevitz1">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

==Changes to the redistricting process since 2012==

===Federal court rulings===
In the 2013 case, ''[[Shelby County v. Holder]]'', the Supreme Court struck down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which was a coverage formula that determined which states and counties required preclearance from the [[United States Justice Department|Justice Department]] before making changes to voting laws and procedures.<ref name="preclearance1"></ref> The formula had covered states with a history of minority voter disenfranchisement, and the preclearance procedure was designed to block discriminatory voting practices.<ref name="preclearance1"/> In the 2019 case of ''[[Rucho v. Common Cause]]'', the Supreme Court held that claims of partisan gerrymandering present [[justiciability|nonjusticiable]] [[political question]]s that cannot be reviewed by federal courts.<ref></ref>

In another 2019 case, ''[[Department of Commerce v. New York]]'', the Supreme Court blocked the [[presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] from adding a question to the 2020 Census regarding the citizenship of respondents.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

===State court rulings===
In 2015, the [[Supreme Court of Florida]] ordered the state to draw a new congressional map on the basis of a 2010 state constitutional amendment that banned partisan gerrymandering.<ref></ref>

In 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out the 2011 U.S. House of Representatives map on the grounds that it violated the state constitution; the court established new redistricting standards requiring districts to be compact and to minimize the splitting of counties and towns.<ref></ref>

In 2019, a North Carolina state court struck down the state's legislative districts on the grounds that the district had been created with the partisan intent of favoring Republican candidates.<ref></ref>

===Ballot measures===
In 2015, Ohio voters approved a ballot measure changing the composition of the commission charged with drawing state legislative districts, adding two legislative appointees to the commission and creating rules and guidelines designed to make partisan gerrymandering more difficult.<ref name="jsiegel1">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> In May 2018, Ohio voters approved a proposal that modified the state's congressional redistricting processes.<ref name="ohiomay2018">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

In 2018, voters in Colorado and Michigan approved of a proposal to establish an independent redistricting commission for congressional and state legislative districts in their respective states. Missouri voters approved of a proposal to have a "non-partisan state demographer" draw state legislative districts.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> In Utah, voters approved the creation of a redistricting commission to draw congressional and state legislative districts, though the Utah state legislature retains the power to reject these maps.<ref></ref>

In 2020, voters in Virginia approved the establishment of a bipartisan redistricting commission for both congressional and state legislative redistricting. The commission consists eight legislators and eight non-legislator citizens, with the commission split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.<ref name="VAcommission2020"></ref>

==References==




[[Category:Redistricting in the United States]]
[[Category:Electoral geography of the United States]]

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