{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s2226-116/featured_redistricting-reform-act-of-2019-1566586788.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s2226-116/featured_large_redistricting-reform-act-of-2019-1566586788.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s2226-116.png"},"introduced_on":"2019-07-23","title_override":"Should States Be Required to Have Independent, Bipartisan Redistricting Commissions?","summary_override":"

This bill — the Redistricting Reform Act of 2019 — would require states to establish independent, bipartisan redistricting commissions (referred to as Independent Redistricting Commissions, or IRCs) to draw fair statewide district maps after each decennial census. It would also set parameters for the creation of such commissions; establish eligibility requirements to prevent conflicts of interest to ensure members of the commissions aren’t lobbyists, political donors, or party operatives; and require commissions to operate transparently and reflect their states’ respective diverse populations.

The following criteria would be established for redistricting plans developed by the commissions:

Equal population per representative, in accordance with the U.S. Constitution;
Compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
Equal opportunity for political participation for racial, ethnic, and language minorities and no dilution or diminishment of their ability to elect candidates of choice, whether alone or in coalition with others; and
Geographically contiguous and compact districts with boundaries that minimize the division of communities of interest (such as counties, municipalities, or school districts, but not common relationships with political parties or political candidates).

This bill would also require commissions to: 1) hold a minimum number of public hearings for public comment before enacting redistricting plans; 2) pass redistricting plans by a majority vote that includes at least one commissioner from each political affiliation subgroup.

To help the commissions in their work, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) would be authorized to make payments to eligible state for the purpose of setting up IRCs and conducting redistricting.

Should a state fail to establish an IRC or enact an IRC’s congressional redistricting plan, this bill would authorize a three-judge court to develop and enact a plan. It would also allow the D.C. or local circuit court to conduct a state’s redistricting if an aggrieved party notifies the court of a state’s failure to establish an IRC or enact an IRC plan.

Finally, this bill would allow the Attorney General or any private citizen who is aggrieved by the failure of a state to meet the requirements of this bill to sue to enforce the bill in either the D.C. district court or the state’s local circuit court.

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Should States Be Required to Have Independent, Bipartisan Redistricting Commissions?