State of Elections

William & Mary Law School | Election Law Society

Redistricting

Virginia Redistricting Competition

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The Virginia Redistricting Competition announced its winners yesterday and William and Mary Law School team won the Congressional Governor/Commission division!  W&M Law also took home a second place finish for its state senate map in the Competition division!  W&M Law narratives describing decisions behind the map also received distinction from the judges, saying the W&M Law narratives “set the standard” for the competition.  Go W&M Law!!

We spent many hours staring at maps and working to draw lines that met the criteria of the competition along with what the law requires.  Focusing on compactness, contiguity, communities of interest, and equipopulation, the team’s goal was to draw lines that made logical sense.  The team was open to all students, but we ended up with only one student from Virginia.  This proved to be somewhat of an advantage in the sense of we were not aware of current partisan politics and drew lines without knowing where incumbents lived.  For a second category, the competitiveness factor was added where we attempted to make districts as politically competitive as possible, again not taking incumbency into consideration.

Overall, we achieved what we set out to do – draw maps that make logical sense, relying on redistricting case law.  Congratulations to the entire team!

The full results of the Competition are available here.

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Redistricting Bloodbath Brewing in Ohio

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After the 2010 midterm elections, one thing is certain: Ohio will be dripping red in 2011. Why, you ask? It looks like redistricting is going to be a bloodbath!

On election day,  Republicans won thirteen of Ohio’s eighteen U.S. House seats (taking five from the Democrats), recaptured the governor’s mansion, and took total control of the  General Assembly. While the 2010 election was pretty good to the GOP, the 2010 Census won’t be nearly as kind to Ohio. Preliminary results released by the Census Bureau indicate that Ohio is set to lose two of its House seats, and given the partisan nature of redistricting in Ohio, a lot of politicians are about to be put in awkward positions. [Read more…] about Redistricting Bloodbath Brewing in Ohio

Weekly Wrap Up

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Secretary of State indicted for voter fraud: Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on three counts of voter fraud, among seven felony charges. Although the Governor and the former Secretary of State have called for White to step down, he has declined to do so.

Ohio wants to go high-tech: Ohio’s Secretary of State Jon Husted wants to create an online voter registration system, one of several changes advocated for in advance of the 2012 election. The system, which would require a valid driver’s license or state identification card, would also allow voters to update their address online as well, making the process more convenient.

Rutgers professor may have the last word on New Jersey redistricting: After the 10-member committee to redraw the map of New Jersey for state districts failed to meet their Thursday deadline, state Supreme Court Justice Stuart Rabner appointed an 11th tie-breaking member to the committee, Rutgers public policy professor Alan Rosenthal. Rosenthal was appointed after both parties recommended him.

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Weekly Wrap Up

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No More Polling Places?: The Colorado legislature is considering a new bill that would eliminate polling places and instead conduct all state-wide elections by mail only. Over 70% of Colorado voters already vote by mail, and the proposal would save the state $12 million annually.

The More the Merrier: The race for San Francisco mayor has an expanding field, as more candidates join the field, thanks to the use of ranked-choice voting. The system, which has been used since 2004, created a successful “Anyone but _____” campaign in the 2010 elections and is shaping up to lead to the same results this year.

300 Taxpayer Dollars an Hour to Fight the Popular Vote: The fight over Amendment 6 in Florida continues as the Florida House has joined the lawsuit filed by two Congressional representatives. The lawsuit, which has cost taxpayers $700,000 and counting, contends that the amendment to redraw congressional districts (supported by more than 60% of the popular vote) is unconstitutional.

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Weekly Wrap Up

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“It’s time to stop stonewalling”: The NAACP and the League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit against new Florida governor Rick Scott, demanding that he submit the voter-approved redistricting amendments to the Justice Department for review. Scott quietly withdrew a request for review in January shortly after taking office.

Misspellings might be OK in AK: A new measure proposed in the Alaska Senate would update the write-in laws, explicitly allowing minor misspellings on write-in votes to count. The law, proposed in response to the 2010 U.S. Senate election, cleared committee this week and should be voted on within days.

Voter IDs High on States’ Agendas: Across the nation, various states are considering voter identification laws. Some, like North Carolina’s proposal, have been in the works for several years; others, like in Minnesota, are new and focus on new technologies to prevent voter fraud. States like Texas, which are subject to the Voter Rights Act, must get these new laws–if passed–approved by the Department of Justice.

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