\nWhile most people around the country were focused on the festivities of the holiday season, courts in two states — Michigan and Wisconsin — ordered them to redraw their legislative districts after they were ruled unconstitutional. This move provides each state with a rare opportunity to address prison gerrymandering in the middle of a decade, rather than waiting for the next Census. \n<\/p>\n
\nPrison gerrymandering is a problem created by the Census Bureau<\/a>. During its tally every decade, it erroneously counts incarcerated people as residents of prison cells, rather than in their home communities, artificially inflating the population of prison towns. When states then use this data to draw new legislative districts, areas that contain prisons get additional political clout, at the expense of everyone else.\n<\/p>\n \nMore than a dozen states have taken action<\/a> to fix the Census Bureau’s error — including “red” states like Montana<\/a> and “blue” states like California<\/a>. Momentum on this issue has been so swift, in fact, that the fiercely bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures recently called it “the fastest-growing trend in redistricting<\/a>.” Roughly half the country now lives in a place that has addressed the problem.\n<\/p>\n \nThe court-ordered redistricting in Michigan and Wisconsin gives each state a chance to join this growing movement, but they have to act fast.\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nIn late December, federal judges ruled<\/a> that 13 Detroit-area state legislative districts unfairly diluted the political clout of Black residents, and ordered the state’s independent redistricting commission to redraw them for the 2024 elections. Commissioners have until February 2<\/a> to produce new maps.\n<\/p>\n \nWhile the court only explicitly ordered that 13 districts be redrawn, changing the lines of these districts will almost certainly have statewide ripple effects.\n<\/p>\n \nBecause the court ruling involved the dilution of Black representation, it is important to remember the disproportionate impact that prison gerrymandering has on Black residents in the state. Black residents are 13% of the state’s population but 51% of the people in state prisons<\/a>. As a result of this disparity and the state’s failure to address prison gerrymandering, Black political representation across Michigan is being unfairly diluted.\n<\/p>\n \nAs the redistricting commission draws new districts, it should address prison gerrymandering<\/a> to return some political clout to Black communities in the state. In addition, the legislature should adopt Sen. Sylvia Santana’s bill to end prison gerrymandering<\/a> in the state permanently. The state already prohibits prison gerrymandering in local government districts<\/a>; ending it in state legislative districts is the next logical step.\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nThe day after Michigan’s districts were struck down, the state Supreme Court in neighboring Wisconsin also struck down that state’s legislative maps<\/a>. Wisconsin has long been considered one of the most politically gerrymandered states<\/a> in the nation. This order provides an opportunity to draw fair Wisconsin maps for the first time in decades.\n<\/p>\n \nAddressing prison gerrymandering won’t solve all of the issues with Wisconsin’s current legislative districts, but it will be a meaningful step toward ensuring fairer representation in the state.\n<\/p>\nMichigan’s chance to address racial disparities<\/h2>\n
Wisconsin’s opportunity to draw more fair districts<\/h2>\n