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Indiana Senate Bill 326 (2018)
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redistricting procedures |
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2020 |
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Senate Bill 326 was introduced in the Indiana State Senate on January 4, 2018. The legislation proposes the establishment of redistricting criteria for congressional and state legislative redistricting. The bill cleared the Indiana State Senate on February 5, 2018, at which point it was referred to the Indiana House of Representatives.[1]
Note: This page summarizes a noteworthy law regarding redistricting in Indiana. It is not part of a comprehensive list of redistricting legislation for this year or state.
Background
- See also: Redistricting in Indiana
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Indiana's nine United States Representatives and 150 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[2][3][4][5]
Indiana was apportioned nine seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Indiana after the 2020 census.
Legislative history
Senate Bill 326, which was authored by Senator Greg Walker (R), was introduced in the Indiana State Senate on January 4, 2018. The bill was referred to the Committee on Elections, which recommended that the legislation be adopted. On February 5, 2018, the Senate approved the bill by a vote of 42 to 6 (with one member excused). The bill was referred to the Indiana House of Representatives on February 7, 2018.[1]
Provisions
Provisions for state legislative redistricting
The legislation, as adopted by the Indiana State Senate on February 5, 2018, proposes the following criteria for state legislative redistricting:[6]
- "The population of a district of the house of representatives or the senate may not deviate from the ideal district population by more than two percent (2%) of the ideal district population."
- "Districts must be as compact as possible to the extent practicable while considering other provisions of this chapter and the federal Voting Rights Act."
- "Districts must be composed of contiguous territory."
- "Districts must not breach precinct boundaries."
- "To the extent possible ... district boundaries must seek to coincide with the boundaries of Indiana political subdivisions."
- "To the extent practicable, a plan must seek to minimize the divisions among more than one (1) district of geographical areas ... where the residents have common cultural, ethnic, political, or socioeconomic interests that do not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision."
- "Consideration must be given to the effect that the plan has on language minority groups and racial minority groups as required by the federal Voting Rights Act."
- "In establishing a plan ... the residential address of an incumbent [senator or representative] may not be identified or considered."
Provisions for congressional redistricting
The legislation, as adopted by the Indiana State Senate on February 5, 2018, proposes the following criteria for congressional redistricting:[6]
- "The population of a district must be as equal as practicable to the ideal district population."
- "Districts must be as compact as possible to the extent practicable while considering other provisions of this chapter and the federal Voting Rights Act."
- "Districts must be composed of contiguous territory."
- "Districts must not breach precinct boundaries."
- "To the extent possible ... district boundaries must seek to coincide with the boundaries of Indiana political subdivisions."
- "To the extent practicable, a plan must seek to minimize the divisions among more than one (1) district of geographical areas ... where the residents have common cultural, ethnic, political, or socioeconomic interests that do not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision."
- "Consideration must be given to the effect that the plan has on language minority groups and racial minority groups as required by the federal Voting Rights Act."
- "In establishing a plan for congressional districts, the residential address of an incumbent United States Representative may not be identified or considered."
Other provisions
The legislation "allows the general assembly, during the process by which the initial proposed plans become effective by being enacted as a law, to consider and adopt modifications to the initial proposed plans that deviate from the redistricting standards as long as the reason or reasons for each deviation are publicly explained and documented."[6]
See also
- Redistricting in Indiana
- Redistricting legislation at the state and city levels in the United States, 2018
- Indiana General Assembly
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Indiana General Assembly, "Actions for Senate Bill 326," accessed February 7, 2018
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Indiana General Assembly, "Senate Bill No. 326," January 23, 2018
