Redistricting Commissions: State Legislative Plans

Alaska

Alaska Const. art. 6, § 8

5

Name: Redistricting Board

Selection Requirements: Governor appoints two; then president of the Senate appoints one; then speaker of the House appoints one; then chief justice of the Supreme Court appoints one. At least one member must be a resident of each judicial district. No member may be a public employee or official.

Arizona

Ariz. Const. art. 4, pt. 2, § 1

5

Name: Independent Redistricting Commission

Selection Requirements: The commission on appellate court appointees creates a pool of 25 nominees, ten from each of the two largest parties and five not from either of the two largest parties. The highest ranking officer of the house appoints one from the pool, then the minority leader of the house appoints one, then the highest ranking officer of the senate appoints one, then the minority leader of the senate appoints one. These four appoint a fifth from the pool, not a member of any party already represented on the commission, as chair. If the four deadlock, the commission on appellate court appointments appoints the chair.

Arkansas

Ark. Const. 1874, art. 8

3

Name: Board of Apportionment

Selection Requirements: Commission consists of the governor, secretary of state, and the attorney general

California

Cal. Const. Article XXI

14

Name: Citizen’s Redistricting Commission

Selection Requirements: With the Passage of Proposition 11 in 2008, the process of redrawing California's state legislative districts was removed from state legislative authority and given to a newly established 14 member commission.  The commission must include 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 members from neither party.  Government auditors are to select 60 registered voters from an applicant pool.  Legislative leaders can reduce the pool; the auditors then are to pick eight commission members by lottery, and those commissioners pick six additional members for 14 total.  For approval district boundaries need votes from three Democratic commissioners, three Republican commissioners, and three commissioners from neither party.

Colorado

Colo. Const. art. V, § 48

11

Name: Reapportionment Commission

Selection Requirements: Legislature selects four: (speaker of the House; House minority leader; Senate majority and minority leaders; or their delegates). Governor selects three. Chief Justice of Colorado Supreme Court selects four. Maximum of four from the legislature. Each congressional district must have at least one person, but no more than four people representing it on the commission. At least one member must live west of the Continental Divide.

Hawaii

Hawaii Const. art. IV

9

Name: Reapportionment Commission

Selection Requirements: President of the Senate selects two. Speaker of the House selects two. The minority leader in both the house and senate party each select one of their number. Those two each select one. These eight select the ninth member, who is the chair. No commission member may run for the legislature in the two elections following redistricting.

Idaho

Idaho Const. art. III, § 2

6

Name: Commission for Reapportionment

Selection Requirements: Leaders of two largest political parties in each house of the legislature each designate one member; chairs of the two parties whose candidates for governor received the most votes in the last election each designate one member. No member may be an elected or appointed official in the state at the time of designation.

Missouri

Mo. Const. art. III, § 2

House: 18 Senate: 10

Name: Apportionment Commission

Selection Requirements: There are two separate redistricting committees. Governor picks one person from each list of two submitted by the two main political parties in each congressional district to form the house committee. Governor picks five people from two lists of 10 submitted by the two major political parties in the state to form the senate committee. No commission member may hold office in the legislature for four years after redistricting.

Montana

Mont. Const. art. V, § 14

5

Name: Commission

Selection Requirements: Majority and minority leaders of both houses of the Legislature each select one member. Those four select a fifth, who is the chair. Members cannot be public officials. Members cannot run for public office in the two years after the completion of redistricting.

New Jersey

N.J. Const. art. IV, § 3

13

Name: Apportionment Commission

Selection Requirements: The majority and minority leaders of both legislative chambers and the chairs of the two major political parties each choose two. Those twelve then appoint the thirteenth who has not held any public or party office in the state within the last five years. If they cannot agree, they will present two names to the Supreme Court, which will choose the final member.

Ohio

Ohio Const. art. XI, § 1

NOTE: this commission was established to begin in the 2020 cycle, by a 2015 Constitutional Amendment

7

Name: Ohio Redistricting Commission

Selection Requirements: Board consists of the governor, auditor, secretary of state, and four people appointed by the majority and minority leaders of the General Assembly.

Pennsylvania

Pa. Const. art. II, § 17

5

Name: Reapportionment Commission

Selection Requirements: Majority and minority leaders of the legislative houses each select one member. These four select a fifth to chair. If they fail to do so within 45 days, a majority of the state Supreme Court will select the fifth member. The chair cannot be a public official.

Washington

Wash. Const. art. II, § 43

5

Name: Commission

Selection Requirements: The majority and minority party leaders in each legislative chamber each select one registered voter to serve as commissioner, and those four commissioners choose a nonvoting fifth commissioner to serve as chair.

Maine

Me. Const. art. IV, pt. 3, § 1-A

15

Name: Apportionment Commission

Selection Requirements: Speaker of the House appoints three. House minority leader appoints three. President of the Senate appoints two. Senate minority leader appoints two. Chairs of two major political parties each choose one. The members from the two parties represented on the commission each appoint a public member, and the two public members choose a third public member.

New York

NOTE: this commission was established to begin in the 2020 cycle, by a 2014 referendum, Proposal 1

Name: Independent Redistricting Commission

Selection Requirements: Each of the four legislative leaders appoints two members; the original eight members select two additional members. Legislators and other elected officials are prohibited from serving. If plans submitted by the commission are rejected by the legislature twice, the legislature will amend it as necessary.

Rhode Island

2011 R.I. Laws ch. 106, § 1; 2011 R.I. Laws ch. 100, § 1

Name: Reapportionment Commission

Selection Requirements: The majority leader of both the house and the senate chose 4 members of the legislature and 3 who are not. The senate and house minority leaders each choose 2 who are not members of the legislature.

Vermont

Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 34A, § 1904

7

Name: Legislative Apportionment Board

Selection Requirements: Chief justice appoints the chair; governor appoints one member from each political party with at least 3 state legislators for six of the previous ten years; those parties each select one. Secretary of state is secretary of the board but does not vote. No commissioner may be a member or employee of the legislature.

Virginia

Exec. Order No. 31 (2011)

Name: Independent Bipartisan Advisory Commission on Redistricting

Selection Requirements: Governor created an advisory commission in 2011 by executive order. The commission is designed to get public input and to recommend district lines to the legislature, which may adopt, modify, or ignore the commission's proposals. Governor chooses 5 citizens of each majority party who have not held elected office in last 5 years, are not employees of Congress or the state legislature. Governor will also select the chair who is not identifiable with any political party.

State

Number of Members

Details

Connecticut

Conn. Const. art. III, § 6

9

Name: Commission

Selection Requirements: President pro tem of the Senate, Senate minority leader, speaker of the House, and House minority leader each select two; these eight must select the ninth within 30 days.

Illinois

Ill. Const. art. IV, § 3

8

Name: Legislative Redistricting Commission

Selection Requirements: President of the Senate, Senate minority leader, speaker of the House, and House minority leader each select two, one of whom is a legislator and the other is not. No more than four from the same party. If the commission fails to develop a plan by August 10, 2001, the state Supreme Court selects two persons not of the same political party, one of whom is chosen by lot to be the ninth member.

Mississippi

Miss. Const. art. 13, § 254

5

Name: Commission

Selection Requirements: Chief justice of Supreme Court is chair; attorney general, secretary of state, speaker of the House, president pro tem of the Senate

Oklahoma

Okla. Const. § V-11A

7

Name: Bipartisan Commission on Legislative Apportionment

Selection Requirements: The Lieutenant Governor is the nonvoting chair; the governor, senate majority leader, and house majority leader each choose 2, one republican and one democrat.

Texas

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 28

5

Name: Legislative Redistricting Board of Texas

Selection Requirements: Lieutenant governor, speaker of the House, attorney general, comptroller of public accounts, and commissioner of the general land office