Where the lines are drawn - state legislative districts
The table below shows the different critera that redistricting bodies in the 2010 redistricting cycle will consider when they draw state legislative lines.
In most states, these standards must be followed only as closely "as is practicable," leaving substantial flexibility to the redistricting body. And in every state, these standards are always subordinate to federal equal population limits and to the federal Voting Rights Act.
The column headers are sortable: just click on the header to sort the data. Boldface indicates constitutional requirements, normal typeface indicates rules in state statute, and italics indicates rules in some form of advisory state guidance. A blank space indicates that the state does not have a particular rule on the issue in question, at least as far as I am aware. More information is available in the writeup for each state -- just click on the state's name.
| State |
Maintain Equal Population |
Draw Compact Districts |
Follow Political Boundaries |
Preserve Communities
of Interest |
Prohibit
Undue Favoritism |
| Alabama |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
Yes |
|
Alaska |
Yes |
Yes |
Local government |
Yes |
|
| Arizona |
Yes |
Yes |
City, town, county |
Yes |
Favor competitive districts |
| Arkansas |
Yes |
|
County |
|
|
| California |
Yes |
Yes (population) |
City, county, neighborhood |
Yes |
Candidate or party |
Colorado |
5% total deviation |
Yes |
County, city, town |
Yes |
|
| Connecticut |
Yes |
|
Town |
|
|
| Delaware |
Yes |
|
|
|
Person or party |
| Florida |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Party or incumbent |
Georgia |
Yes |
Yes |
County, precinct |
Yes |
|
| Hawaii |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Person or political faction |
| Idaho |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
Yes |
Party or incumbent |
| Illinois |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
Indiana |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
| Iowa |
1% average deviation, 5% total deviation |
Yes |
County, city |
|
Party, incumbent, other |
| Kansas |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
Yes |
|
| Kentucky |
Yes |
|
County |
|
|
| Louisiana |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
| Maine |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Maryland |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
| Massachusetts |
Yes |
|
County, town, city |
|
|
| Michigan |
Yes |
Yes |
County, city, township |
|
|
| Minnesota |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
Mississippi |
Yes |
Yes |
County, election district |
|
|
| Missouri |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
|
|
| Montana |
3% deviation |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
| Nebraska |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
|
Party, group, person |
Nevada |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
| New Hampshire |
Yes |
|
Town, ward, unincorporated place |
|
|
| New Jersey |
Yes |
Yes |
Municipality |
|
|
| New Mexico |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
New York |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
|
|
| North Carolina |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
Yes |
|
| North Dakota |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Ohio |
Yes |
Yes |
County, township, municipality, ward |
|
|
| Oklahoma |
3% deviation |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
| Oregon |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Party, incumbent, other person |
| Pennsylvania |
Yes |
Yes |
County, city, town, township, ward |
|
|
| Rhode Island |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Right to fair representation |
Right to fair representation |
| South Carolina |
Yes |
Yes |
Municipal, county, voting precinct |
Yes |
|
| South Dakota |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
| Tennessee |
Yes |
|
County |
|
|
| Texas |
Yes |
|
County |
|
|
| Utah |
4% deviation |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Vermont |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
Yes |
|
| Virginia |
2% deviation |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
| Washington |
Yes |
Yes |
County, municipality |
Yes |
Encourage competition |
| West Virginia |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
Yes |
|
| Wisconsin |
Yes |
Yes |
County, precinct, town, ward |
Yes |
|
| Wyoming |
Yes |
Yes |
County |
Yes |
|
