Redistricting is the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries, which determines who represents us in government. It is conducted after each decennial census in the United States. The process is necessary to reflect changes in population and racial diversity and is used by legislators to allocate representation in Congress and state legislatures equitably. Redistricting can be conducted fairly, accurately reflecting population changes and racial diversity, or it can be used to manipulate the outcome of elections, which is called gerrymandering. Gerrymandering undermines democracy and stifles the voice of voters.
Redistricting is different from reapportionment, which is the reassignment of representation in congressional and state legislative districts due to changes in population reflected in the census. District lines subdivide territory, so there are several districts within one city or state, and representatives for each separate district. The process of redistricting is lawful and equitable when conducted properly, but when it is used as a tool to manipulate electoral outcomes or discriminate against certain groups, it ceases to be lawful and equitable.
In the colonial era, many districts were defined by the borders of towns or counties, or groups of towns and counties. The legislature was formed by assigning a certain number of representatives to each of these districts. The Uniform Congressional District Act, enacted in 1967, requires that representatives be elected from single-member districts. When a state has a single representative, that district will be statewide. Gerrymandering in the redistricting process has been a problem since the early days of the republic. In recent years, critics have argued that redistricting has been used to neutralize minority voting power, while supporters say it enhances electoral competitiveness.
