Redistricting Reform Around the Country

[Panich52]

Brennan Center

New legislative sessions have brought a flurry of redistricting bills from both Democrats and Republicans around the country in 2015 — no fewer than 87 as of April 7, according to a new Brennan Center analysis. http://www.brennancenter.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=80637&qid=4592341

Although reforming redistricting by legislation historically has been hard, these bills show a robust bipartisan debate over ways to improve democratic processes and a dissatisfaction with current redistricting practices.

Proposals introduced this year include 20 bills that would create redistricting commissions, 7 that would change how and where prisoners are counted for redistricting purposes, and 23 measures that try to minimize gerrymandering by putting other constraints on how maps are drawn.

For an overview of the bills, see our interactive map, which we will update as sessions move forward. http://www.brennancenter.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=80637&qid=4592341

[djean111]

1. This shows just how very important concentrating on the states is.

The Kochs figured this out quite a while ago, and used ALEC to basically reshape states to suit them.
This affects peoples' lives in the most direct way, more than what Washington can do in many cases. Gay marriage, vampire banks, food stamps, pro-choice, Medicaid expansion, gerrymandering - ALL important, and the social issues, IMO, are just as important as the economic ones. We need our own ALEC. I don't think the Third Way types give a rat's ass about this stuff, except empty words at campaign time.

[Panich52]

2. The '50 state strategy' certainly worked...

Maddow interviewed the giy who came up w/ idea. Can't remember his name, and he was intro'd on show as someone 'you've never heard of.' Kochs and ALEC jumped right on his idea.

[Kurovski]

3. Are you speaking of Howard Dean?