Choosing Voters: Redistricting and Re-Apportionment

Abstract

If there is any electoral institution in the United States where the rules affect outcomes, it is in redistricting and reapportionment, yet it is one of the least understood parts of the electoral institution. The formal rules created in every state in the nation (each of the 50 states create districts in varying ways with varying laws) also affect citizen participation in electoral decisions. Citizen votes translate into public policy via representation at the federal, state, and local levels. Within states, congress members represent approximately equal numbers of individuals, but not between states.¹ Within states, state houses and senates are typically divided into equally populated geographic districts.