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Eminent political analysts explain the legal and political history of redistricting since the one person - one vote revolution in the 1960s and place it in the larger context of American politics. The authors document the impact of redistricting on competition, polarization, and partisan fairness, and they assess the role technology played in the redistricting process.
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Thomas E. Mann and Bruce E. Cain EDITORS Competition, Partisanship, and Congressional Redistricting 00-5467-1 FM 9/24/05 10:01 AM Page i PARTY LINES 00-5467-1 FM 9/24/05 10:01 AM Page ii 00-5467-1 FM 9/24/05 10:01 AM Page iii PARTY LINES Competition, Partisanship, and Congressional Redistricting Thomas E. Mann and Bruce E. Cain Editors brookings institution press Washington, D.C. 00-5467-1 FM 9/24/05 10:01 AM Page iv Copyright © 2005 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 www.brookings.edu All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Brookings Institution Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data Party lines : competition, partisanship, and congressional redistricting / Thomas E. Mann and Bruce E. Cain, editors. p. cm. Summary: “Details the legal and political history of redistricting since the inception of the ‘one person, one vote’ rule, documenting its impact on competition, polarization, and partisan fairness, and analyzes options for reform”—Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8157-5468-8 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8157-5468-X (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8157-5467-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8157-5467-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. United States. Congress. House—Election districts. 2. Election districts— United States. 3. Apportionment (Election law)—United States—History—20th century. I. Mann, Thomas E. II. Cain, Bruce E. JK1341.P37 2005 328.73’07345—dc22 2005024216 987654321 The paper used in this publication meets minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials: ANSI Z39.48-1992. Typeset in Adobe Garamond Composition by R. Lynn Rivenbark Macon, Georgia Printed by R. R. Donnelley Harrisonburg, Virginia 00-5467-1 FM 9/24/05 10:01 AM Page v Contents Foreword 1 vii Introduction 1 From Equality to Fairness: The Path of Political Reform since Baker v. Carr 6 Bruce E. Cain, Karin Mac Donald, and Michael McDonald 2 The Impact of Redistricting on Candidate Emergence 31 L. Sandy Maisel, Cherie D. Maestas, and Walter J. Stone 3 Pushbutton Gerrymanders? How Computing Has Changed Redistricting 51 Micah Altman, Karin Mac Donald, and Michael McDonald 4 Forty Years in the Political Thicket: Judicial Review of the Redistricting Process since Reynolds v. Sims 67 Nathaniel Persily 5 Redistricting Reform: What Is Desirable? Possible? 92 Thomas E. Mann Contributors 115 Index 117 v 00-5467-1 FM 9/24/05 10:01 AM Page vi 00-5467-1 FM 9/24/05 10:01 AM Page vii Foreword A t the core of a healthy democracy—just as at the core of what we do at Brookings—is the free and fair contest of ideas. For that principle to work in the political life of our nation