Districting
Districting involves determining the number, size and boundaries of electoral districts. A district is a voting area with a predetermined number of seats up for election. Districting may have a significant impact on electoral integrity. To respect the principle of one person, one vote, representation from each district needs to be relatively equal. When districting is performed by a partisan body, it may become a political tool for marginalizing specific groups or ensuring that particular candidates or parties are elected. Districting should be performed regularly to ensure equal representation, taking into account population shifts.
One Person, One Vote
Representation from each district needs to be equal in terms of the ratio of seats to voters. This ensures that all voters, regardless of place of residence, are represented equally.
However, the context should be considered since a number of countries recognize that population equality is not the only important criterion for representation. Other factors may be considered to guarantee not only equal but also effective representation—for example, an electoral district’s cultural identity, history and geography (e.g. containing sparsely populated or isolated regions), and the presence of minorities.
These factors may conflict with the one person, one vote principle. As a solution, many countries define the acceptable deviation from absolute equality. Some countries also feel that public participation in districting is important. In Canada, for example, readjustments to electoral boundaries are preceded by a series of public hearings giving voters the opportunity to express their views, thereby making the process as fair as possible. [1]
Partisan Influences
An independent body or the electoral administrators may be given responsibility for districting, but in many countries it is a task for partisan majorities in the legislature. This allows politicians to set boundaries for partisan benefit, drawing the lines so that opposition support is concentrated in a few districts and the ruling party maintains an advantage in the remaining districts. Boundaries may also be manipulated by scattering support for the opposition across a number of electoral districts.
Drawing the lines to secure partisan advantage is called gerrymandering. It occurs in electoral systems having single-member constituencies. In developing countries, gerrymandering often takes the form of allocating more seats to regions where the incumbent party has strong support. This was the case in Kenya in 1997 and Nigeria in 1999. [2]
To prevent gerrymandering, some countries shelter the districting process from any political interference. In Canada, completely independent commissions readjust electoral boundaries. Each province has its own three-member commission: the chief justice of the province names a judge to head the commission, and the Speaker of the House of Commons appoints the other two members. [3] In New Zealand, readjustments are made by an independent statutory agency known as the Representation Commission, composed of the Government Statistician, the Surveyor-General and the Chief Electoral Officer.
Readjusting Electoral Boundaries
Populations change over time. Rural residents move to urban areas and the demographics of a country alter. Electoral boundaries need to be regularly reviewed to safeguard election integrity and the principle of one person, one vote. To take such changes into consideration without creating excessive administrative burdens, redistricting should be undertaken at reasonable intervals—usually every 5 to 10 years.
The timing of redistricting may affect the outcome of an election. For governments or politicians inclined toward gerrymandering, the ideal moment to redistrict is immediately before an election. This leaves too little time before election day to challenge the redistricting in court.
NOTES
[1] Sax, Herschell, “Readjustment of Federal Electoral Boundaries,” Electoral Insight, May 2002.
[2] Elklit, Jorgen, “Electoral Institutional Change and Democratic Transition: You Can Bring a Horse to Water, But You Can’t Make It Drink,” paper presented to the European Consortium for Political Research, 1999.
[3] Sax, Herschell, “Readjustment of Federal Electoral Boundaries.”
