Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T15:03:41.837Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Comparative Analysis of Redistricting Institutions in the United States, 2001-02

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Michael P. McDonald
Michael P. McDonald*
Affiliation:
George Mason University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Legislative redistricting is among the most intensely fought battles in American politics. Through redistricting, political parties seek to control government, incumbents seek job security, and minority groups seek representation. I explore how the various United States redistricting institutions, and the political actors who operate within them, determined the outcomes of the 2001-02 redistricting cycle. I categorize these institutions into two types: redistricting that follows the normal legislative process and that which takes place through a commission. For those states that use the legislative process, when one party controls state government, redistricting results in a partisan gerrymander. When there is divided state government, a bipartisan compromise results from the legislative process. Commission systems differ on membership and voting rules, suggesting two types of commissions: partisan and bipartisan. A partisan commission reliably produces a partisan map, while a bipartisan commission results in a bipartisan compromise.

Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , Winter 2004 , pp. 371 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abramowitz, Alan I. 1983. “Partisan Redistricting and the 1982 Congressional Elections.” Journal of Politics 45:767–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Associated Press. 2001. “Latino Group Sues over District Map,” San Diego Union Tribune, 4 October, A-12.Google Scholar
Barabas, Jason, and Jerit, Jennifer. 2004. “Redistricting Rules and Race.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 4:415–35.Google Scholar
Barber, Kathleen L. 1981. “Ohio.” In Reapportionment Politics: The History of Redistricting in the 50 States, eds. Hardy, Leroy, Heslop, Alan, and Anderson, Stuart. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Basehart, Harry, and Comer, John. 1991. “Partisan and Incumbent Effects in State Legislative Redistricting.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 16:65–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beardsley, Elisabeth J. 2001. “New Congressional Plan Good for Meehan, Hub Minorities,” Boston Globe, 4 December, 2.Google Scholar
Boatright, Robert. 2004. “Static Ambition in a Changing World: Legislators' Preparations for and Responses to Redistricting.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 4:436–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Born, Richard. 1985. “Partisan Intentions and Election Day Realities in the Congressional Redistricting Process.” American Political Science Review 79:305–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brace, Kimball, Grofman, Bernard N., Handley, Lisa R., and Niemi, Richard G.. 1988. “Minority Equality: The 65 Percent Rule in Theory and Practice.” Law and Policy 10:43–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, Mark. 2001. “Gutierrez Foe Drawn Right off the Map,” Chicago Sun-Times, 30 May, 2.Google Scholar
Bullock, Charles S. III. 1996. “The South and the 1996 Elections.” PS: Political Science and Politics 29:450–5.Google Scholar
Butler, David, and Cain, Bruce E.. 1992. Congressional Redistricting: Comparative and Theoretical Perspectives. New York: MacMillan.Google Scholar
Cain, Bruce E. 1984. The Reapportionment Puzzle. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Cain, Bruce E. 1985. “Assessing the Partisan Effects of Redistricting.” American Political Science Review 79:320–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campagna, Janet, and Grofman, Bernard. 1990. “Party Control and Partisan Bias in 1980s Congressional Redistricting.” Journal of Politics 52:1242–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claunch, Ronald G., Chumlea, Wesley S., and Dickson, James G. Jr. 1981. “Texas.” In Reapportionment Politics: The History of Redistricting in the 50 States, eds. Hardy, Leroy, Heslop, Alan, and Anderson, Stuart. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Copelin, Laylan. 2003. “Final Map Passes: Legal Battles on Way,” The Austin American Statesman, 13 October, A1.Google Scholar
Cox, Gary, and Katz, Jonathan. 2002. Elbridge Gerry's Salamander: The Electoral Consequences of the Reapportionment Revolution. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, Ridgeway I. 1981. “Connecticut.” In Reapportionment Politics: The History of Redistricting in the 50 States, eds. Hardy, Leroy, Heslop, Alan, and Anderson, Stuart. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Desposato, Scott W., and Petrocik, John R.. 2003. “The Variable Incumbency Advantage: New Voters, Redistricting, and the Personal Vote.” American Journal of Political Science 47:18–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erikson, Robert S. 1972. “Malapportionment, Gerrymandering, and Party Fortunes in Congressional Elections.” American Political Science Review 66:1234–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferejohn, John. 1977. “The Decline of Competition in Congressional Elections.” American Political Science Review 71:166–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzpatrick, Edward. 2002. “Review Gives Republicans an Edge,” The Providence Journal-Bulletin, 21 January, A1.Google Scholar
Galloway, Jim. 2001. “Governor's Unique Role Unique; Involvement Adds to Image of ‘King Roy’,” Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 1 October, B1.Google Scholar
Gelman, Andrew, and King, Gary. 1994a. “A Unified Method of Evaluating Electoral Systems and Redistricting Plans.” American Journal of Political Science 38:514–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelman, Andrew, and King, Gary. 1994b. “Enhancing Democracy through Legislative Redistricting.” American Political Science Review 88:541–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glazer, Amihai, Grofman, Bernard, and Robbins, Marc. 1987. “Partisan and Incumbency Effects of 1970s Congressional Redistricting.” American Journal of Political Science 30:680–701.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glover, Mike. 2001. “Lawmakers Race to Approve New Districts,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, 19 June.Google Scholar
Grofman, Bernard, and Handley, Lisa. 1998. “Estimating the Impact of Voting-Rights-Related Districting on Democratic Strength.” In Race and Redistricting in the 1990s, ed. Grofman, Bernard. New York: Agathon Press.Google Scholar
Hirsch, Sam. 2003. “The United States House of Unrepresentatives: What Went Wrong in the Latest Round of Congressional Redistricting.” Election Law Journal 2:179–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, Chip. 2001. “Plan Carves Assembly Candidate out of District,” The San Francisco Chronicle, 4 September, A11.Google Scholar
Johnston, Ron J. 2002. “Manipulating Maps and Winning Elections.” Political Geography 21:1–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieckhefer, Ben. 2001. “Senate OKs Congressional Map,” The State Journal-Register, 26 May, 1.Google Scholar
King, Gary. 1989. “Representation through Legislative Redistricting: A Stochastic Model.” American Journal of Political Science 33:787–824.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kosaki, Richard H. 1981. “Hawaii.” In Reapportionment Politics: The History of Redistricting in the 50 States, eds. Hardy, Leroy, Heslop, Alan, and Anderson, Stuart. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Kousser, J. Morgan. 1996. “Estimating the Partisan Consequences of Redistricting Plans—Simply.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 22:521–41.Google Scholar
Kousser, J. Morgan. 1999. Colorblind Injustice: Minority Voting Rights and the Undoing of the Second Reconstruction. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Lawrence, Steve. 2001. “Democrats May Not Seek Big Gains in House Delegation,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, 14 August.Google Scholar
Lublin, David. 1997. The Paradox of Representation: Racial Gerrymandering and Minority Interests in Congress. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Lublin, David, and Stephen Voss, D.. 2000. “Racial Redistricting and Realignment in Southern State Legislatures.” American Journal of Political Science 44:792–810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayhew, David. 1974. Congress: The Electoral Connection. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
McCarthy, Robert J. 2002. “State Lawmakers' Redistricting Plan Blasted by Critics,” The Buffalo News, 7 March, C1.Google Scholar
Musgrave, Philip. 1977. The General Theory of Gerrymandering. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.Google Scholar
Niemi, Richard, Grofman, Bernard, Carlucci, Carl, and Hofeller, Thomas. 1990. “Measuring Compactness and the Role of the Compactness Standard in a Test for Partisan and Racial Gerrymandering.” Journal of Politics 52:1155–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niemi, Richard, and Winsky, Laura. 1992. “The Persistence of Partisan Redistricting Effects in Congressional Elections in the 1970s and 1980s.” Journal of Politics 54:565–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Owen, Guillermo, and Grofman, Bernard. 1988. “Optimal Partisan Gerrymandering.” Political Geography Quarterly 7:5–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, Frank R. 1990. Black Votes Count. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pemberton, Mary. 2002. “Reworked Redistricting Plan Gets Judge's Approval,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, 9 May.Google Scholar
Petrocik, John R., and Desposato, Scott W.. 1998. “The Partisan Consequences of Majority-Minority Redistricting in the South, 1992 and 1994.” Journal of Politics 60:613–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poovey, Bill. 2001. “GOP Legislators Brace to Get ‘Run Over’ in Redistricting Session,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, 23 June, 1-2.Google Scholar
Rallings, Colin, Thrasher, Michael, Johnston, Ron, and Downe, James. 2004. “Redistricting Local Governments in England: Rules, Procedures, and Electoral Outcomes.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 4:470–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rawls, Philip. 2002. “Justice Approves New Congressional Districts,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, March 4.Google Scholar
Riskind, Jonathan. 2002. “GOP Missteps Were Hallmark of Redistricting,” Columbus Dispatch, 20 January, 3C.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Root, Jay. 2001. “State GOP Rolls out Redistricting Plan,” Fort Worth Star Telegram, 14 June, Metro 8.Google Scholar
Schotts, Ken. 2001. “The Effect of Majority-Minority Mandates on Partisan Gerrymandering.” American Journal of Political Science 45:120–35.Google Scholar
Selby, W. Gardner. 2001. “Remap Wins Some Praise; But Latinos Aren't Happy with Districts,” San Antonio Express-News, 15 November, A14.Google Scholar
Sherstyuk, Katerina. 1998. “How to Gerrymander: A Formal Analysis.” Public Choice 95:27–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, Peverill. 1985. “Results of Partisan Redistricting in Seven U. S. States during the 1970s.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 10:259–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, Peverill. 1995. “The Partisan Consequences of Congressional Redistricting.” American Politics Quarterly 23:229–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swain, Carol M. 1995. Black Faces, Black Interests. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Swain, John W., Borrelli, Stephen A., and Reed, Brian C.. 1998. “Partisan Consequences of the Post-1990 Redistricting for the House of Representatives.” Political Research Quarterly 51:945–67.Google Scholar
Thernstrom, Stephen, and Thernstrom, Abigail. 1997. America in Black and White. New York: Simon and Schuster.Google Scholar
Tufte, Edward R. 1973. “The Relationship between Seats and Votes in Two-Party Systems.” American Political Science Review 67:540–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagster, Emily. 2001. “Mississippi House Adjourns without Redistricting Agreement,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, November 5.Google Scholar