In 2021 and 2022, states and local governments across the country will redraw electoral districts based on the results of the 2020 census. Redistricting will have an immense impact on our democracy, influencing who wins elections, who is at the table when laws are considered, and what laws are passed.
In many ways, this redistricting cycle will be the most challenging ever. An increasingly diverse electorate has transformed the American political landscape but also set the stage for backlash, especially against the growing political power of communities of color. For the first time in six decades, the redistricting process will take place without crucial protections of the Voting Rights Act. On top of that, a 2019 Supreme Court decision has opened the door to even more aggressive partisan gerrymandering.
As urgent federal reforms await passage in Congress, the redistricting process remains all too vulnerable to racial discrimination and partisan manipulation.
