What Is ‘Redistricting’ And How Does It Affect American Elections?

Redistricting is when states redraw their congressional, state legislative, and local districts from which public officials are elected. The U.S. Constitution outlines that the population of a state determines how many seats it receives in the House of Representatives, so districts are drawn to distribute the population equally throughout the state. Traditionally, this happens every 10 years after a census is conducted, but redistricting can also be ordered by the courts. However, no constitutional or federal law prohibits redistricting at any time, but some state constitutions or statutes do ban mid-decade redistricting. Redistricting can change election outcomes because changing district boundaries changes which voters are grouped together. It unfortunately can also lead to gerrymandering, where district borders are deliberately manipulated to rig election outcomes and give one party an unfair advantage. It is extremely important that redistricting is conducted fairly to ensure that each individual's vote carries equal weight.