Report Assessing California’s Redistricting Commission: Effects on Partisan Fairness and Competitiveness By Eric McGhee Mar 5, 2018 The creation of the Citizen Redistricting Commission (CRC) in 2008 was a radical departure from California’s previous redistricting process, which had been directed by the legislature with little public input and no official rationale. Many hoped that, in addition to meeting legally mandated representational and geographic goals, the CRC would produce electoral maps that were fair to the two major parties and more competitive than the maps that had been drawn by the legislature.
Report Redistricting and Legislative Partisanship By Eric McGhee Sep 9, 2008 Critics of the state legislature contend that its pattern of gridlock—as exemplified by the current budget impasse—can be traced to the “safe seats” it drew for itself in the 2001 redistricting process. Redistricting reform is often suggested as the right prescription for these legislative ills. This report analyzes in detail the effects of the 2001 redistricting on legislative behavior, voting patterns, and partisanship. It concludes that if increased bipartisanship is what critics want, redistricting reform may not be the optimal way to attain it.
blog post Redistricting and the Changing Demographics of the California Legislature By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Feb 1, 2023 The November 2022 election has transformed the demographics of California’s state legislature and congressional delegation, adding greater numbers of Latinos and women in particular. Newly redrawn political districts are one of the factors driving this change.
blog post How a New Way of Counting Prisoners Has Changed Redistricting By Jennifer Paluch, Eric McGhee, Heather Harris Nov 2, 2022 For the purposes of drawing state legislative and congressional districts, California now counts state prisoners as residents of their last known address, rather than as residents of prisons. Though the effects are small, communities with large numbers of residents who have been sent to prison now do not lose representation to the few communities in which the prisons are located.
blog post Racial Representation and Partisan Leanings in California’s Final Redistricting Maps By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Jan 12, 2022 With the final maps from the Citizens Redistricting Commission, the number of majority Latino districts increased significantly--with less change for Asian Americans and African Americans—while the new districts could improve Democrats’ prospects in Congress and the state assembly.
interactive Redistricting and California’s Changing Population Jun 14, 2021 The 2020 Census results show California growing more slowly than the nation as a whole, and for the first time the state will lose a House seat. This interactive explores California’s population shifts—and what they might mean for political representation.
blog post Race and Partisan Leanings in California’s Draft Redistricting Maps By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, Vicki Hsieh Nov 16, 2021 California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission has released draft maps of new congressional and state legislature districts. What would they mean for racial/ethnic representation and partisan competitiveness?
blog post Redistricting Opens New Opportunities for Communities of Color By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, Vicki Hsieh Oct 13, 2021 As California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new political districts, how might the state’s increased diversity affect the racial/ethnic composition of the resulting districts?
blog post The Citizen’s Redistricting Commission: Open for Business By Eric McGhee Jun 10, 2019 Applications are now being accepted for California's Citizen Redistricting Commission, which will be responsible for redrawing legislative boundaries based on 2020 census figures.
