Significant Mapping Developments

Alaska

Alaska's Redistricting Board approved two new proposed legislative plans, replacing the previously adopted ones.

Colorado

The state’s congressional commission released its 2nd staff redistricting plan.

Indiana

House Republicans released their proposed congressional and state House redistricting plans.

Iowa

The state’s Legislative Services Agency released their 1st proposed congressional and legislative redistricting plans.

Maine

Maine’s Apportionment Commission released a compromise proposed state House plan.

Michigan

The state’s commission released two proposed draft congressional plans and a proposed draft state Senate plan.

New York

Republicans and Democrats on the state’s redistricting commission both released draft congressional and legislative redistricting plans.

Ohio

Ohio’s Redistricting Commission adopted legislative redistricting plans that will be in effect for four years.

Oregon

Oregon Democrats released their proposed congressional redistricting plan, a map which Republicans and analysts say is biased.

Virginia

Map-drawers for Virginia’s redistricting commission released preliminary proposals for legislative districts that will serve as the starting point for their final maps.

Washington

Each of the Washington Redistricting Commission’s voting members released proposed legislative redistricting plans.

Important Dates

This Week

Colorado – 9/23 Deadline: CO commissions release 3rd congressional staff plan and 2nd legislative staff plan; 9/28 Deadline: congressional final plan adoption

Maine – 9/26 Deadline: Commission plans to release congressional and legislative plans

Michigan – 9/22 Deadline: Commission plans to finalize a draft state house map

Oregon – 9/27 Deadline: Legislative Assembly releases final legislative plans

Washington – 9/28 Deadline: Commission’s tentative release date for draft congressional plans

Next Week

Arkansas – 9/29: Special session expected to convene

Colorado – 10/1 Deadline: Congressional plan submission to Supreme Court

Iowa – 10/5: Special session convenes

National News

Redistricting News

The NRRT named Chris Christie and Mike Pompeo as their new national co-chairs, with Karl Rove also joining as a senior advisor. In a Fox News op-ed, Pompeo and Christie outlined their goal of a durable GOP majority through lawful redistricting maps. Newly adopted redistricting commissions in many states have already broken down along party lines, dampening reformers’ goal for a collaborative map-drawing process.

State News

Indiana

Republican map-drawers see battleground districts like Indiana’s 5th District as playing a crucial role in the party’s path back to a U.S. House majority.

Maine

A congressional plan proposed by Maine Democrats would move thousands of Democratic voters into the state’s currently competitive 2nd Congressional District.

Michigan

Michigan’s Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the Michigan Redistricting Commission’s adopted redistricting timeline, but left open the possibility of hearing it at a later time.

Ohio

State legislative leaders stated they will likely miss their September 30 deadline for adopting a new congressional plan, which would shift map-drawing authority to the Ohio Redistricting Commission.

Oregon

Breaking her deal with Republicans, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek formed a Democrat-controlled redistricting committee to adopt a disproportionately Democratic map. Their special redistricting session was further complicated when someone in the building tested positive for COVID-19.

Pennsylvania

The state’s Legislative Reapportionment Commission scaled back their plan to reallocate prisoners when redrawing legislative maps by excepting prisoners whose sentences will end after the next decennial census.

Texas

Texas’s third special session this year began on Monday with the goal of adopting new congressional and legislative redistricting plans.

Virginia

The state’s redistricting commission approved an instruction for map-drawers to not look at political data or incumbent’s addresses when creating new plans along with guidance on communities of interest, but deadlocked on how to handle racial demographics.

Wisconsin

A three-judge panel of federal judges denied state Republicans’ request to dismiss a redistricting lawsuit brought by Democrats, citing the involvement that federal courts have had in the state’s last three redistricting cycles.