Legislators considering new ways to draw their districts are finding it’s not just who draws the maps, but what rules they’re given.
A study committee has been examining whether an outside commission should handle Indiana redistricting. N-Y-U redistricting expert Michael Li says an outside commission doesn’t drain partisanship out of the process entirely, but it removes the public credibility problem of having legislators draw their own districts.
But Li says legislators need to consider what they want to accomplish. He says creating more competitive districts usually isn’t compatible with neatly-shaped maps which keep “communities of interest” like counties, cities and neighborhoods together.
And Li says attempts to defuse partisanship by including officially nonpartisan members on the commission have backfired in other states, as party lines battle for the loyalty of those few swing votes.
Li praises California for what he says is an innovative solution to that issue. California’s 14-member commission includes five Republicans, five Democrats and four independents, but a simple majority isn’t enough — new maps require a majority within each of those three groups.
The commission plans two more meetings, and expects to vote in October on recommendations for legislators to consider when they reconvene in January.