Help End Prison Gerrymandering Prison gerrymandering funnels political power away from urban communities to legislators who have prisons in their (often white, rural) districts. More than two decades ago, the Prison Policy Initiative put numbers on the problem and sparked the movement to end prison gerrymandering.

Can you help us continue the fight? Thank you.

—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate

Oregon

Sections
Redistricting reports
Organizations in Oregon
Endorsements
Select Testimony
Fact sheets
More information

The U.S. Census Bureau counts incarcerated people where they are confined not where they are from. Using these counts to draw state and county legislative districts enhances the political cloud of people who live near prisons at the expense of everyone else in the state or county.

Redistricting reports

Federal Census policy harms Oregon's democracy — but state lawmakers can fix it: Oregon's redistricting data once again skewed after the 2020 Census; the state needs to take action to fix the issue for 2030.

Reports analyzing Oregon's 2011 redistricting efforts:

Organizations in Oregon

It’s impossible to include everyone who is working toward fair districting in Oregon, but if you are looking to get involved, these are some of the people and organizations you might want to contact:

Endorsements

  • African-American Chamber of Commerce
  • City Club of Portland
  • Common Cause Oregon
  • Urban League of Portland

Select Testimony

Fact sheets

More information

  • Pendleton inmates remain constituents who can't vote, East Oregonian, Antonio Sierra, November 30, 2021
  • Legislation: including model legislation, current bills, and archive of past legislative efforts
  • Pathfinder: a guide to resources on prison gerrymandering
  • Effects of prison-based gerrymandering in Oregon at the state and local levels of government: 50 State Guide - Oregon.
  • Oregon's 2011 Redistricting: Successes, Concerns, and Recommended Improvements by Common Cause Oregon, February 2012. Includes background on prison gerrymandering in Oregon and local analysis:
    The City of Pendleton in Umatilla County provides an Oregon example of the negative effect on democracy of claiming incarcerated people as constituents of the prison location. The Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution is 28 percent of a Pendleton city council district, giving every 3 residents of the ward with the prison the political power of 4 residents in other parts of the city. Department of Corrections statistics show that virtually everyone incarcerated at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution comes from other parts of the state.
  • Briefing Packet, includes general background on prison gerrymandering, model bill, and OPB news clipping.


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