Delimiting electoral districts can be a complex, expensive and time-consuming process. If no legal framework exists, there are many decisions to make before the delimitation process can even begin. For example:
- how many districts to be drawn;
- what kind of districts to be drawn--single or multimember districts;
- who will draw the districts;
- how often to redraw districts;
- what criteria to be considered when drawing district boundaries.
Once these kinds of decisions are made, they should be detailed in legislation to establish the framework for redistricting. Instituting a legal framework for redistricting will make the administration of the process much easier.
The line drawing process itself can be complicated to administer. Information from a wide variety of sources must be collected, verified and synthesised. A redistricting plan, once created, must be evaluated. The evaluation of a plan may have to include some procedure for public input. And after a final redistricting plan is adopted, it must be implemented. Implementation may require a great deal of co-ordination with local and regional governments as well as election officials at the local, regional and federal levels.
Electoral Legislation for Delimiting Districts
If there are no legal provisions to guide the delimitation process, electoral legislation should be enacted to define the districting structure and to set up the machinery for undertaking the delimitation process. This legislation should address the following issues:
Number and type of districts. How many districts should be created? Should the districts be single-member districts, multimember districts, or a combination of both? Should district boundaries be drawn to correspond to administrative boundaries?
Boundary authority. Who should draw district boundaries? Should districts by drawn by a single boundary authority for the entire country or by a boundary authority in each region to which seats have been allocated? What should be the composition of the boundary authority? Should the boundary authority be partisan or non-partisan? Who should have the final authority to select and adopt a redistricting plan?
Access to the delimitation process. Who should have access to the redistricting process? Should provisions be established for public access to the process? Should political parties have access to the process?
Criteria for delimiting districts. Should criteria be adopted for drawing district boundaries? If so, what should those criteria be?
Timetable for delimiting districts. How often will redistricting be necessary? Should a schedule be outlined for redistricting to occur at periodic intervals? Should a deadline be established for the process of drawing district boundaries?
The more specific the law, the fewer questions and concerns there will be about procedures for delimiting districts. Administrators of a redistricting project can then focus on collecting the data, drawing district boundaries, and implementing the final redistricting plan.
Administration of the Delimitation Process
The administration of the delimitation process includes supervision and oversight of both the process of drawing district boundaries and the implementation of a redistricting plan. Tasks related to the line drawing phase include the following:
Staffing:
- hire and train staff to collect and process information for the redistricting database;
Collection and verification of data:
- collect population data, maps, and election results, if political data is desired;
- compile an inventory of the data collected and verify the accuracy of the data;
- co-ordinate data collection with officials of local, regional, or federal agencies, depending on the source;
Creation of a database:
- synthesise the data collected to create a unified redistricting database;
- provide the database, technology, and trained staff to the persons or organisations that will draw the district boundaries;
Public inquiry process:
- publish maps of proposed redistricting plans, schedule hearings, and record public comments.
Tasks related to the implementation of a redistricting plan include the following:
Production of maps and reports. Produce and distribute maps and reports describing the final redistricting plan.
Co-ordination with governmental agencies. Co-ordinate with local, regional, or federal election officials and other governmental authorities on the following tasks:
- notifying voters of their new district assignments;
- updating voter registration lists to reflect new district assignments;
- redrawing voting areas and relocating polling places, if necessary (if, for example, the new district boundaries split old voting areas);
- modifying local maps to reflect new district configurations.
While computers can make drawing districts more efficient, computers can also complicate the administration of the process. Computer hardware and software options must be examined carefully. A decision to acquire a computer system must take into account the amount of money to be invested in hardware and software, the time and expense of acquiring and training staff to operate the system, and the time and expense of converting maps and population data to a computer readable format.
The administration of the delimitation process may be challenging. It may be difficult to find and/or train qualified staff, particularly if the process is to be computerised. There may be obstacles to obtaining accurate and up-to-date information, especially maps. And there may be problems co-ordinating the collection and implementation processes with election officials and local government officials. All of these challenges must be met, however, if the delimitation process is to be accurate and timely.
