Census And Redistricting

Nearly 1 million Californians who voted for president in last Tuesday's election declined to cast a ballot on Proposition 11, a decision that could lead to a major change in the way California draws its political boundaries.

With about 2.1 million ballots still uncounted across the state, the "Yes" side's 140,000-vote lead could disappear. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other supporters of the measure have declared victory, while opponents including the state Democratic Party, labor unions and minority rights organizations have refused to concede.  read more »

I. Overview: 14-Person Redistricting Commission (5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, 4 other)

II. How is the Commission Chosen?
Step 1: The Applicant Review Panel narrows the pool to 60 persons.
• The State Auditor creates a public and transparent application process.
• The State Auditor establishes an Applicant Review Panel for the purpose of screening applicants, comprised of three randomly selected qualified independent state auditors (1D/1R/1other)  read more »

Thursday, November 6, 2008

California takes a step toward nonpartisan redistricting.  read more »

What GAO Found  read more »

Danny R. Young, a 53-year-old backhoe operator for Jones County in eastern Iowa, was elected to the Anamosa City Council with a total of two votes — both write-ins, from his wife and a neighbor.

While the Census Bureau says Mr. Young’s ward has roughly the same population as the city’s three others, or about 1,400 people, his constituents wield about 25 times more political clout.  read more »

WILMINGTON, Del. — The pungent aroma of spices, beans and rice fills the matchbox-size Dominican Cafe on West Fourth Street. The lunch counter is packed when community activist Carlos Dipres enters and chats with diners about el censo. He's met by blank stares.

A block away at Juan's Auto Repair, owner Juan Vargas says he doesn't know much about the U.S. Census but is pretty sure he'll respond to the government survey when it's sent out in 2010. "As long as it's in Spanish," he says through a translator.  read more »

NEW YORK - Fear of government in some communities in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and years of debate over immigration policy could create issues in getting an accurate head count of the U.S. population for the 2010 census, the director of the U.S. Census Bureau said.

In 2000, there "was a very robust economy, it was kind of a very positive period in U.S. history," the agency's director, Steve Murdock, told The Associated Press in an interview on Thursday. "There were a number of issues that would soon impact us that hadn't yet occurred."  read more »

(09-28) 17:05 PDT -- Proposition 11 on the November ballot may be designed to take the politics out of redistricting in California, but the politicians aren't going to let go without a fight.

The measure, which is the latest attempt to change the way the state's legislative districts are carved out, would take the decennial redrawing of the state's legislative boundaries out of the hands of the Legislature and give it to a 14-member citizens' commission after the 2010 census.  read more »

September 3, 2008  read more »

September 2, 2008 - WASHINGTON (AP) - The 2008 Republican platform, in language that is hostile to illegal immigrants, says the makeup of Congress should be determined by counting only those legally residing in the United States in the next census.  read more »