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When discussing redistricting, I’ve heard individuals raise the question, “Why don’t we just let computers draw the lines and be done with it?” And why not? We let computers run so many aspects of our lives, why not this one as well? While computers and GIS software are fundamental to the completion of redistricting tasks, programming the computer to draw the maps requires firmly established criteria. Even with clear criteria, there are thousands of legal…
Every decade, following the release of decennial census data and the reapportionment process, state legislatures and committees redraw district boundaries to account for population changes. This process is called redistricting. As of 2010, there were 43 states with at least two congressional districts, meaning that they must undergo a redistricting process. Two federal guidelines govern redistricting. Both of them are based on demographic data: equal population in each district and the protection of racial/ethnic voting…
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