Redistricting is the process by which US congressional district boundaries are redrawn following the decennial US census. The process of redistricting in the USA is unlike that in the UK where the UK’s independent Boundary Commission decides constituency boundaries. It seems somewhat of an anomaly that in the USA the vital process of determining the position of congressional district lines is the responsibility of state legislatures in the vast majority of cases. Only seven states (for example, Arizona and New Jersey) have independent or bipartisan bodies with sole responsibility for redistricting.
Media reports following Republican successes in the 2010 mid-term elections focused inevitably on the federal Congress. Fewer column inches were devoted to the Republican Party’s victories at state level. These wins have crucial implications for the process of redistricting.
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