Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
“Redistricting” is a term that gets tossed around a lot in discussions about political representation, community interests, and elections. But what exactly is redistricting? And why is it something that all of us should care about?
Redistricting is a process that governments use to draw political district boundaries. It affects local, state, and national elections, including the U.S House of Representatives, state legislatures, city councils, school boards, and more. In practice, redistricting decides what district you live in, and what specific offices you and your community members are eligible to vote for.
Redistricting happens once every 10 years in the United States, right after a new census is completed. Governments use the data from the census to guide the redistricting process.
The reason redistricting happens is because our country’s population is constantly changing. Not only is the population growing, it is also moving, which can make some areas more or less densely populated over time. This is important because the point of redistricting is to create equally populated political districts. When each individual belongs to an equal-sized political district, then everyone’s vote counts equally. So, when practiced properly, redistricting is a great tool to ensure that all our voices count, and count equally.
To put it simply, redistricting determines representation, and representation is very important. How districts are drawn through the redistricting process has a huge impact on who runs for public office and who gets elected. Elected officials make crucial decisions on issues like public safety, community funding, school policy, and immigration, decisions that impact all our lives.
How likely our elected officials are to advocate for our communities’ interests, and to respond to our communities’ needs, is also influenced by redistricting. Through a corrupt redistricting practice called gerrymandering, governments can draw district boundaries that split neighborhoods, grouping unconnected communities and geographic areas into the same districts. This is usually done to give an advantage to one political party over another. It has the effect of not giving certain communities, often communities that are already marginalized, proper elected representation, since their voting power has been illogically split between different districts.
Redistricting can have long term effects on our communities, either positive or negative. That’s why it is so important that we pay attention when redistricting is happening, especially since the process only happens every 10 years, so what gets decided is pretty much set in stone for the next decade.
2021 is a redistricting year, which makes it a very important year for all our communities. In Minnesota, our state legislature is currently responsible for redistricting Congressional districts (U.S House of Representatives), Minnesota Senate and House districts (Minnesota State Legislature), and Metropolitan Council districts. Local governments are responsible for redistricting their own districts, so for example, city councils redistrict city wards and precincts, and school boards redistrict school board districts.
While redistricting is a process that traditionally kicks off near the beginning of the year, this redistricting year, the timeline has shifted to later in the year to better manage pandemic-related complications. Additionally, the Minnesota State Legislature has a history of failing to reach an agreement on redistricting, with the Minnesota courts usually stepping in to complete the process. Even with the potential delays, you can expect to see heated discussions in state and local government bodies related to redistricting all year.
Redistricting is also something we should be talking about within our communities and families. Redistricting can be a complicated and tedious process, but it is absolutely worth learning about, because the future of our communities’ will be so affected by it.
As the redistricting process kicks off officially in Minnesota later in the year, we encourage our community to be attentive and engaged. Reach out to current elected officials to urge them to participate in the redistricting process in a principled way. There may be opportunities to provide comments and testimony during redistricting hearings, where you can speak to the priorities of your community. Most importantly, resist any attempts by redistricting practitioners to erase or misrepresent your community. Speak up and demand the dignity and representation you deserve. Together, we can help make 2021’s redistricting process a fair one, full of promise for the future of our communities.
Want to learn more about redistricting, potential redistricting reform, its impact on our communities, and how you can make your voice heard?
–AAOP (You can reach out to staff member Jeffrey Her if you’d like more information on how you can get involved!)
–League of Women Voters Minnesota
A huge congratulations to Minnesota for keeping its 8th Congressional seat! Thank you to the amazing census organizers who made this possible, kicking off our 2021 redistricting process on a high note. The margin which allowed us to retain our 8th district was insanely slim, a powerful reminder that truly, every voice and every person makes a difference.
Sources
Callaghan, Peter, “Lawsuit pushes Minnesota’s redistricting process into the courts, where it was likely to end up anyway”, MinnPost, 23 Feb. 2021. https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2021/02/lawsuit-pushes-minnesotas-redistricting-process-into-the-courts-where-it-was-likely-to-end-up-anyway/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
Common Cause, “How does Redistricting Affect Us”, Common Cause, 2021. https://www.commoncause.org/minnesota/our-work/ensure-fair-districts-reflective-democracy/fair-maps-for-minnesota/how-does-redistricting-affect-minnesotans/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
Orrick, Dave, “How 89 non-existent New Yorkers saved Minnesota’s U.S. House seat”, Twin Cities Pioneer Press, 26 Apr. 2021. https://www.twincities.com/2021/04/26/how-89-non-existent-new-yorkers-saved-minnesotas-8th-u-s-house-seat/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.
U.S Census Bureau “2020 Census: What is the Census?”,YouTube, uploaded by U.S Census Bureau, 17 Sept. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq-FMB4epyw. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
Washington Post, “Gerrymandering, explained”, YouTube, uploaded by Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGLRJ12uqmk. Access 22 Apr. 2021.