Report Assessing California’s Redistricting Commission: Effects on Partisan Fairness and Competitiveness By Eric McGhee Mar 5, 2018 The creation of the Citizen Redistricting Commission (CRC) in 2008 was a radical departure from California’s previous redistricting process, which had been directed by the legislature with little public input and no official rationale. Many hoped that, in addition to meeting legally mandated representational and geographic goals, the CRC would produce electoral maps that were fair to the two major parties and more competitive than the maps that had been drawn by the legislature.
blog post The Citizen’s Redistricting Commission: Open for Business By Eric McGhee Jun 10, 2019 Applications are now being accepted for California's Citizen Redistricting Commission, which will be responsible for redrawing legislative boundaries based on 2020 census figures.
blog post Video: Assessing California’s Redistricting Commission By Mary Severance Mar 21, 2018 In a radical departure, California empowered an independent commission to create new electoral maps. A new PPIC report assesses the maps' fairness and competitiveness to both major political parties.
blog post Redistricting Opens New Opportunities for Communities of Color By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, Vicki Hsieh Oct 13, 2021 As California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new political districts, how might the state’s increased diversity affect the racial/ethnic composition of the resulting districts?
event Assessing California’s Redistricting Commission Mar 16, 2018 The creation of the Citizen Redistricting Commission (CRC) in 2008 marked a radical departure for California. Many expected the commission to be fairer to the two major parties and lead to more competitive elections. Has the first CRC plan met these expectations? PPIC researcher Eric McGhee will describe the measures he used to evaluate fairness and competitiveness—including his own measure, the “efficiency gap,” which is used in litigation currently before the Supreme Court—and outline his findings.
blog post Racial Representation and Partisan Leanings in California’s Final Redistricting Maps By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Jan 12, 2022 With the final maps from the Citizens Redistricting Commission, the number of majority Latino districts increased significantly--with less change for Asian Americans and African Americans—while the new districts could improve Democrats’ prospects in Congress and the state assembly.
blog post Redistricting and the Changing Demographics of the California Legislature By Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch Feb 1, 2023 The November 2022 election has transformed the demographics of California’s state legislature and congressional delegation, adding greater numbers of Latinos and women in particular. Newly redrawn political districts are one of the factors driving this change.