The process of drawing electoral district boundaries is time consuming and labour-intensive. The delimitation, or redistricting, process usually begins with an allocation of seats to sub-regions of a country, such as states or provinces. Seats are almost always allocated to regions on the basis of population. But under special provisions, certain regions may receive more or fewer seats than population alone would dictate.
Once seats have been allocated, the process of drawing district lines within a region commences. A redistricting database is created using population data and, in some countries, political data as well. Maps are collected. After all of the necessary information has been gathered, the process of assigning geographic units to electoral districts can begin. Each geographic unit--whether a county, city, town or village, or some smaller geographic census unit or voting area--is assigned to a specific district. After all geographic units in the region have been assigned, the plan is complete and ready to be evaluated.
The process for evaluating a redistricting plan depends in large part on the redistricting criteria that have been adopted. A statistical summary of population or other demographic data by district is straightforward as long as the requested data has been included in the redistricting database. The plan may require a more sophisticated or subjective assessment, as well, depending on the criteria adopted. For instance, are communities of interest intact? Do minority voters have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice?
Computers can be used to make the drawing of district boundaries more accurate and efficient. Consultants can be brought in to assist in any aspect of the redistricting process. A decision on whether computers or consultants should be employed depends on the need for them and what they will cost.
This section discusses the information needed to conduct redistricting: population data, maps and political data (see Information Required to Draw Electoral Districts). It outlines steps in the line drawing process, including the allocation of seats, the preparation of a database, the drawing of district boundaries, and the summary description of the plan for evaluation (see Steps in the Electoral District Delimitation Process). And it considers the possible use of computer technology and/or consultants (see Computer-Assisted Delimitation and Use of Consultants).
