PRESENTS ELECTION 2018 WHY VOTING MATTERS UNIT 3. Voter Rights. CLASSROOM LAW PROJECT 620 SW Main, Ste. 102, Portland, OR

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1 CLASSROOM LAW PROJECT PRESENTS ELECTION 2018 WHY VOTING MATTERS UNIT 3 Vter Rights

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3 UNIT 3 Vter Rights Essential Questins: What des the Cnstitutin say abut Vter Rights? Hw have vting rights changed ver the years? Whse vting rights are being limited in 2018? Objectives: Students will be able t Discuss what parts f the US Cnstitutin deal with vter rights Identify the majr mments in the histry f vting rights in America Explain the current challenges t vting rights Design a slutin fr fair vter access Unit 3 Standards: OR 2018 Grade 8 Scial Studies Standards Grade 8 CCSS Literacy in Histry/Scial Studies 6-8.RH RH RH RH RH WHST WHST WHST.9 OR 2018 High Schl Scial Studies Standards HS.1 HS.4 HS.10 HS.11 HS.13 HS.54 HS.61 HS.67 HS.71 HS.73 HS.74 HS.76 Grades 9/10 CCSS Literacy in Histry & Scial Studies 9-10.RH RH RH RH RH RH WHST WHST WHST.9 Grades 11/12 CCSS Literacy in Histry & Scial Studies RH RH RH RH RH WHST WHST WHST.9

4 Unit Vcabulary Suffrage Gerrymandering Vter I.D. The Vting Rights Act f 1965 The 14 th Amendment The 19 th Amendment The 26 th Amendment Materials and Handuts 3.1 What is the histry f Vting Rights in the U.S.? Handuts: Vting Rights in the U.S. Cnstitutin and Legislatin Wh REALLY Gets t Vte: a Timeline Article abut vting rights fr ex-felns Article abut lwering the vting age t 16 Article n vter restrictins in 2018 Analysis: Vting Rights Pririties 3.2 What is gerrymandering and hw des it affect vter rights? Handuts: What is gerrymandering Article: What Pennsylvania s new cngressinal map means fr 2018 Article: Drive Against Gerrymandering Finds New Life in Ballt Measures A Slutin Tree analysis f gerrymandering

5 3.1 What is the Histry f Vting Rights in the U.S.? Handuts: Excerpts frm the US Cnstitutin & Legislatin regarding vting rights Wh REALLY Gets t Vte: a Timeline Article abut vting rights fr ex-felns Article abut lwering the vting age t 16 Article n vter restrictins in 2018 Analysis: Vting Rights Pririties Lessn Overview: Interestingly, there is n explicit right t vte in the Cnstitutin. But thrugh the years, varius grups have been added t the list f eligible vters. In this lessn, nt nly d students have the pprtunity t lk again at the US Cnstitutin, but they will be able t see ther laws that have been passed thrugh histry that have affected the right t vte fr varius grups. A cnstant refrain as students cnsider these issues shuld be the theme f this year: Why Vting Matters, and this lessn will fcus n hw that is affected by wh gets t vte. Have ur laws gne far enugh t ensure everyne can vte? Yur students may have sme thughts n this as they g thrugh this unit. Suggested Opener: Prs and cns t expanding vting eligibility are ften a challenge t cnsider. What wuld be gd abut mre peple being able t vte? What might be bad abut that? This wuld als be a gd place t insert a current event abut the cming electin and sme challenges peple may be having with vting. Yu might als brainstrm with yur class wh is allwed t vte? Once they cme up with all f their ideas abut wh can vte, try a secnd list f wh SHOULD be allwed t vte in additin t their first list. This lessn will answer the first questin, and students will get the pprtunity t cnsider the secnd questin in mre detail. Lessn Optins: 1. Jigsaw r read thrugh tgether the U.S. Cnstitutin & Legislatin excerpts abut vting rights and Wh Really Gets t Vte timeline f vting access in the United States. Pair and Share discussins might be prmpted by the questin f what appears in these readings t mtivate changes in law abut wh gets t vte? The answers require students t cnsider the time and the issues arund each histrical even they read. 2. Cnsider with yur class what they already knew frm this timeline and what surprised them abut what they learned frm this histry. A mdified K-W-L exercise wuld fit here well as a way fr students t reflect and analyze the infrmatin. 3. The articles prvided address a variety f vting challenges in mdern America. They can be used as evidence fr writing an analysis r an argumentative paper.

6 4. A wrksheet fr a Prpsal fr Vting Rights is included if yu wuld like t challenge yur students t cmpse a law that encmpasses all the prtectins fr vting they believe are imprtant. Supplemental Lessn Ideas: 1. Investigate mre fully felns right t vte. Find ut what Oregn s law is regarding cnvicted felns right t vte. Discuss these questins: Shuld a persn wh pays his r her debt t sciety shuld be allwed t vte? Des the kind f crime a persn was cnvicted f affect yur pinin? 2. Research vting in ther cuntries and ask students t cnsider issues such as Australia s mandatry vting rule r hw ther cuntries hld electins n weekends r hlidays.

7 Vting Rights in the U.S. Cnstitutin & Legislatin The U.S. Cnstitutin is ratified The Cnstitutin, as riginally written, did nt define a citizen. Any citizen f a state was deemed a citizen f the natin. At the time, mst states nly granted the right t vte t white male prperty wners. By 1850, mst landwner requirements were eliminated Amendment XIII In the aftermath f the Civil War, three amendments were ratified that expressly addressed the rle f blacks in America: the Thirteenth, Furteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The Thirteenth Amendment was the first step twards full suffrage fr black adult males, because it ablished slavery in the U.S Amendment XIV The Furteenth Amendment t the Cnstitutin defines the U.S. citizen, and thus clarifies wh may vte: "All persns brn r naturalized in the United States and subject t the jurisdictin theref, are citizens f the United States and f the State wherein they reside." Children f immigrants, even illegal immigrants, are citizens and may vte when they cme f age. Hwever, this amendment des nt expressly grant suffrage t nnwhites and wmen. It des set the legal age fr vting at 21. This amendment als allws a state t remve the right t vte fr "participatin in rebellin, r ther crime." As a result, mst states still ban incarcerated felns frm vting, and several states extend that ban t ex-felns Amendment XXIII This amendment finally granted District f Clumbia vters the ability t participate in presidential electins Amendment XXIV In the century that fllwed the Civil War, racial tensin persisted. Five suthern states still had a pll tax, which was eliminated by this amendment. The Supreme Curt declared that even a $1.50 pll tax was an unfair burden The Vting Rights Act After blacks were granted the right t vte in 1871, literacy requirements, physical vilence, prperty destructin, hiding the plls and ecnmic pressures still kept many blacks frm vting, particularly in the Suth. In sme states, a vter culd vte in primary electins nly if his grandfather had been able t vte in primaries; ther states nly allwed whites t vte in the primaries. The Vting Rights Act was enacted in direct respnse t the Civil Rights mvement. The act bans literacy tests and prvides federal enfrcement f vter registratin and vting rights Amendment XXVI During the Vietnam War, many Americans felt it was unfair t send citizens t fight a war withut the right t vte. This amendment sets the vting age at 18 acrss the natin fr all electins Amendment XV The Fifteenth Amendment frbids the federal gvernment and the states frm using a citizen's race, clr r previus status as a slave as a disqualificatin fr vting. By this amendment, suffrage is granted fr black adult males, but nt females. Many in the wmen's suffrage mvement cndemned the Furteenth and Fifteenth Amendments as unfair t wmen Amendment XIX By the turn f the century, wmen were vting in many western states, but mst states still banned them frm the vting bth. In 1920, after several failed attempts, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. This amendment prhibits states r the federal gvernment frm restricting suffrage based n gender Vting Rights Act Reauthrizatin By 1972, mst adult citizens f the U.S. had the right t vte based n prvisins in the Cnstitutin. Cngress amended the Vting Rights Act in 1975 t include language assistance fr minrity vters, wh ften culd nt vte if ballts and instructins were nly available in English Americans with Disabilities Act The ADA addressed the need fr physical access t the ballt bx fr all Americans *excerpted frm CNN s Student News One Sheet: The Right t Vte

8 Wh Really Gets t Vte? Vting Timeline White men with prperty can vte. Free black men can vte in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Cnnecticut. (In Maryland between free black men culd vte, after 1810 n black men at all were allwed t vte.) Establishment f US demcracy. White men with prperty can vte. Pr peple, Wmen, Native Americans, and African- Americans cannt vte Naturalizatin Act. The right t vte is tied directly t citizenship status; it is nly fr whites wh have lived in the cuntry fr 2 years. In 1798 the law is changed s immigrant whites have t live in the US fr 14 years befre they can becme citizens. This changed t 5 years after The prperty laws are taken ff the bks and whites can vte even if they d nt wn prperty. But they must pay a pll tax r be able t read and, in sme places, they must pass religius tests befre they can vte The Treaty f Guadalupe-Hidalg ends the Mexican-American War. The treaty guarantees citizenship t Mexicans living in the newly acquired territries f Arizna, Califrnia, New Mexic, Texas and Nevada. Hwever, Mexican-Americans are nt allwed t vte despite having US citizenship. Prperty laws, language and literacy requirements are the favred way f keeping peple frm vting. There are als the Night Riders wh use intimidatin and vilence The Civil War ends in Civil Rights Act f 1866 grants citizenship t native-brn Americans but excludes Native Americans The 15th Amendment establishes the right f African-American males t vte. In the Suth especially, pll taxes, reading requirements, physical vilence, prperty destructin, hiding the plls, and ecnmic pressures keep mst African-Americans frm vting. The Ku Klux Klan is a majr part f the vilence and intimidatin used t keep African-Americans frm vting The Chinese Exclusin Act bars peple f Chinese ancestry frm becming citizens. They cannt vte The Dawes Act gives citizenship nly t Native Americans wh give up their tribal affiliatins th Amendment allws wmen t vte natinwide. (Prir t 1920, wmen in the Wyming and Utah territry and Clrad had full vting rights. ) The Sns f America are rganized t fight fr equality and the rights f Mexican Americans as citizens, including the right t vte. It will be 1975 befre the right t vte is available t all Mexican-Americans In the case f Taka v. United States the US Supreme Curt uphlds the 1790 Naturalizatin Act that barred Asian-Americans frm becming citizens. This enfrces the plicy f n vting rights fr Asian immigrants A curt ruling decides that Asian Indians are eligible fr citizenship. Technically, as citizens, they can nw vte. Hwever, almst all immigrants wh are peple f clr cntinue t be denied the right t vte The service f Native Americans during Wrld War I helps t bring abut the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act. The Act grants Native Americans citizenship, but many western states refuse t allw them t vte. Sme f the tactics used t discurage vting includes physical vilence, destructin f prperty, ecnmic pressures, pll taxes, hiding the plls and reading requirements The Chinese Exclusin Act is repealed, making immigrants f Chinese ancestry eligible fr citizenship Filipins are nw allwed t becme citizens The McCarran-Walter Act repeals racial restrictins f 1790 Naturalizatin Law. First generatin Japanese can nw becme citizens In a direct respnse t the Civil Rights mvement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and thers, The Vting Rights Act f 1965 is enacted. It bans literacy tests in the Deep Suth and prvides federal enfrcement f black vter registratin and vting rights. This Act affects Virginia, Alabama, Gergia, Luisiana, Mississippi, Nrth Carlina, and Suth Carlina. It als applies in Alaska The 1970 Vting Rights Act bans literacy tests in 20 states including New Yrk, Illinis, Califrnia and Texas The 26th Amendment gives vting rights t 18 year lds in respnse t prtests abut men under 21 drafted fr the Vietnam War but nt able t vte The Vting Rights Act is amended t include language assistance t minrity vters. Language requirements have been used rutinely t keep the vte frm US brn citizens wh speak ther languages. Nw the Vting Rights Act has sme real impact and enfrcement in the Suthwest The Americans with Disabilities Act requires access t the plls and t the ballt Vte fraud scandals in Flrida and elsewhere. Thusands f eligible vters are prevented frm vting. Over ne millin ballts are never cunted Help America Vte Act (HAVA) is passed and requires states t upgrade t electrnic vting.

9 Business Insider Jan. 3, 2018 By Elena Hldny Millins f American adults are nt allwed t vte and they culd change histry A vter filling ut a ballt fr last year's US presidential primary electin in a vting bth in Stark, New Hampshire. An estimated 6.1 millin American adults were nt allwed t vte in the 2016 electin because they had a felny n their recrd. Mst had already served their sentences and returned t their cmmunities. The majrity f US states take away felns' vting rights, ccasinally fr life. This disenfranchisement affects an estimated ne in 40 adult Americans, r 2.5% f the ttal US vting-age ppulatin, accrding t The Sentencing Prject, a grup that advcates criminal-justice refrm. That number is greater than the entire ppulatin f Missuri, and it's the largest single grup f American citizens wh are barred by law frm participating in electins. S many peple are barred frm the plls that sme wrry their absence culd change electin results. One study even suggested that allwing felns t vte in Flrida culd have tipped the 2000 presidential electin t Demcrat Al Gre. Abut half f US states have lsened restrictins in recent years. But hw this might affect the cuntry's fractured plitics is mre cmplicated. Wuld ex-felns turn ut t vte? And if they wuld, can we predict wh'd benefit? The US is a huge utlier when it cmes t incarceratin The US has the ne f the highest incarceratin rates in the wrld, with abut 670 inmates per 100,000 residents, accrding t figures frm the Internatinal Center fr Prisn Studies. Sme estimates put the figure higher. That rate is abut five times the average f ther develped ecnmies in the Organizatin fr Ecnmic Cperatin and Develpment. The next-clsest OECD state is Israel, which has an incarceratin rate f abut 250 inmates per 100,000. The number f Americans incarcerated has increased ver the past 25 years. The rate fr US residents ages 18 and up rse frm abut 310 per 100,000 in 1980 t abut 870 per 100,000 in 2015, a spike crrelated with the "war n drugs"-era tugh-n-crime plicies. The rate peaked in the mid-2000s at abut 1,000 per 100,000. Which brings us t the first divide: the disenfranchisement f thse with a cnvictin Few majr ecnmies arund the wrld allw inmates t vte. Pliticians and vters generally argue that if a persn des nt fllw the law, then that persn shuld nt get t chse lawmakers. In the US, the Furteenth Amendment grants states the authrity t deny vting rights t thse with criminal cnvictins, and then states can cme up with their wn rules fr restring thse vting rights if they chse. Maine and Vermnt are the nly tw states that allw peple in prisn t vte. But it's what happens after a persn has served time fr a felny that is mre cntrversial.

10 Over three-quarters (77%) f disenfranchised vters are nt actually in prisn. Sme are under prbatin r parle supervisin, while thers have cmpleted their sentences, accrding t The Sentencing Prject. Nne f the laws barring ex-felns frm vting explicitly mentin race. The US, hwever, disprprtinately arrests and cnvicts peple f clr. The effect is a huge disenfranchised vting blc. Black Americans f vting age are mre than fur times as likely t lse their vting rights as the rest f the adult ppulatin, with ne f every 13 black adults disenfranchised natinally, accrding t The Sentencing Prject. Twelve states Alabama, Arizna, Delaware, Flrida, Iwa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyming restrict vting rights even after a persn has cmpleted a prisn sentence and is n lnger n prbatin r parle. The affected peple in thse states make up ver 50% f the entire disenfranchised ppulatin in the US. Which brings us t the secnd divide: race An estimated 2.2 millin black citizens are barred frm vting in ttal. The rates f African-American felny disenfranchisement vary significantly by state, with startling numbers in a few: mre than ne in five African-Americans is barred frm vting in Flrida (21%), Kentucky (26%), Tennessee (21%), and Virginia (22%). "This is largely the result f the histric grwth in incarceratin in recent decades and disprprtinate enfrcement f the failed 'war n drugs' in black and Latin cmmunities, which has drastically increased the class f persns subject t disenfranchisement," The Sentencing Prject said. "Felny disenfranchisement statutes have weakened the plitical pwer f black and Latin cmmunities," it added. The racial cmpsitins f prisns versus the adptin f disenfranchisement laws

11 African-American imprisnment rates have "cnsistently exceeded" thse f whites since the Civil War era, accrding t US Department f Cmmerce data frm the 19th century, cited in a study by Angela Behrens, Christpher Uggen, and Jeff Manza. Lking at data frm the 1850s t 2002, the tri fund that states with greater nnwhite ppulatins have histrically been mre likely t bar cnvicted felns frm vting than states with prprtinally fewer nnwhites. "The expansin f citizenship t racial minrities, and the subsequent extensin f suffrage t all citizens, threatened t undermine the plitical pwer f the white majrity," Behrens, Uggen, and Manza wrte. "By restricting the vting rights f a disprprtinately nnwhite ppulatin, feln disenfranchisement laws ffered ne methd fr states t avert [the changes]." "The sharp increase in African American imprisnment ges hand-in-hand with changes in vting laws," they cntinued. "Felns disenfranchisement prvisins ffered a tangible respnse t the threat f new African-American vters that wuld help preserve existing racial hierarchies." Ntably, the percentage f nnwhite prisn inmates nearly dubled frm 1850 t 1870 in several Suthern states, the authrs als fund. Fr example, abut 2% f the Alabama prisn ppulatin was nnwhite in 1850, but 74% f it was nnwhite in 1870 even thugh the ttal nnwhite ppulatin rse by just 3%, accrding t Department f Cmmerce figures frm the 1800s. As fr plitical parties, sme argue that allwing ex-felns t vte wuld benefit Demcrats. A 2002 study by Uggen and Manza fund that "Demcratic candidates wuld have received abut 7 ut f every 10 vtes cast by the felns and ex-felns in 14 f the last 15 US Senate electin years." Taking it a step further, when they examined hw these figures wuld have affected electins, they fund that seven Senate races ut f mre than 400 might have been flipped frm 1970 t Of curse, individual and grup vting preferences are shaped by a bunch f scial, ecnmic, structural, and plitical factrs. S there culd be sme underlying, unknwn variables that wuld affect the predictins f hw a large blc f vters acrss different states might vte. Fr example, nt all states are required t infrm ex-felns abut their vting rights. And that's significant because ne study by Marc Meredith and Michael Mrse fund that the ntificatin "can increase ex-feln participatin." Which brings us t Flrida... Flrida, a key swing state in recent electins, alne accunts fr 27% f the US ppulatin disenfranchised by felny, accrding t figures frm The Sentencing Prject. And the nearly 1.5 millin peple disenfranchised in the state after cmpleting their sentences accunt fr 48% f the natinal ttal. What des this mean fr electins? It's difficult t predict hw feln and ex-feln disenfranchisement affects electin results fr several reasns, including, fr example, that it's hard t estimate hw many ex-felns wuld turn ut t vte if their vting rights were restred. Ex-felns wuld mst likely vte at lwer rates than the general public, accrding t researchers. One study estimated that abut 35% f disenfranchised ex-felns wuld have vted in presidential electins and 24% in Senate electins in nnelectin years, while anther fund that fewer than 15% f recently enfranchised ex-felns actually vted in Iwa, Maine, and Rhde Island. The verall turnut fr the 2012 presidential electin was 58.6%. Take the htly cntested 2000 electin, which saw Gerge W. Bush win Flrida by just 537 vtes ut f nearly 6 millin. Supprters f Al Gre and Gerge W. Bush facing ff in frnt f the US Supreme Curt amid the

12 landmark pstelectin legal battle Bush v. Gre in Given the slim margin f victry, the utcme culd have been different if felns and ex-felns were allwed t vte. Others, hwever, argue that Flrida's large ppulatin f white felns wuld have leaned tward Bush anyway. Uggen and Manza argued that the electin "wuld almst certainly" have been reversed if "vting rights were extended t any categry f disenfranchised felns." On the flip side, Nrthwestern's Traci Burch, simulating utcmes fr Flrida 2000 under scenaris cnsistent with turnut rates f Gergia and Nrth Carlina in 2000 and Flrida in 2008, fund that the ex-feln ppulatin in Flrida wuld have leaned tward Bush. S what's next? The administratin f Virginia Demcratic Gv. Terry McAuliffe recently restred the vting rights fr ver 168,000 peple. And abut 42,000 had registered t vte fr the gvernr's race in Virginia n Nvember 7, Lking at the brader picture, twenty-fur states have changed felny-disenfranchisement prvisins since 1997 t expand vter eligibility. Accrding t data frm The Sentencing Prject, an estimated 840,000 citizens regained the right t vte frm 1997 t In sme states, the restratin f vting-rights practices shifts based n wh's in charge. In Flrida in 2007, fr example, the clemency bard vted t autmatically restre vting rights fr many with nnvilent felny cnvictins, but the decisin was reversed in Whether these plicies will change depends n which parties and pliticians are elected t the run the states. And thse with the mst at stake smetimes can't take part in that decisin.

13 NBC News June 24, 2018 By Devyn Rafls-Nunez Push t lwer the vting age gains tractin acrss the states We knw abut the issues, and we deserve a vice, says ne 16-year-ld.ers fight t lwer vting age t 16 JUN :38 WASHINGTON Jenny Gnzalez, 16, a student at Wdrw Wilsn High Schl here, insists she and her peers are ready t vte. "We knw abut the issues, and we deserve a vice," she said. Jenny is ne f dzens f invigrated teens wh are part f Vte16USA, a natinwide campaign created by Generatin Citizen, a natinal civic engagement rganizatin, and led by yuths fighting t lwer the vting age with the help f Charles Allen, a Demcrat n the D.C. Cuncil. Allen in April reintrduced the Yuth Vte Amendment Act f Fr the first time, it wuld give 16- and 17-year-lds the right t vte in lcal races, as well as in presidential electins all as sn as Alik Schier, 16, said teens are ne f the cuntry's mst energized vting blcs. "We want t have a say," Alik said. "S many issues that affect eligible vters nw affect us." "Outside f my schl, tw yung males were sht and killed," she said. "They were nly ninth-graders. Things like this happen every day, and we dn't even have a vice r say in hw t put a stp t it." Theirs isn't the first generatin t push fr lwering the vting age; teens have been advcating fr the change fr years. They've had sme success, with a few Washingtn suburbs in Maryland, like Takma Park, Greenbelt and Hyattsville, already allwing 16-year-lds t vte in lcal electins. Mre than a dzen cuntries, including Brazil, Sctland and Austria, meanwhile, allw vters that yung in natinal electins. Several ther cities and states have als prpsed bills n bth the lcal and the state levels, mst f them as state cnstitutinal amendments. The issue has cme up in schl bard electins in Berkeley, Califrnia, and in state electins in Arizna, Minnesta and, mst recently, Nrth Dakta and Michigan. While the mvement faces resistance and prcedural bstacles, it has gained tractin after recent schl shtings, like the killings f 17 peple at Marjry Stneman Duglas High Schl in Parkland, Flrida. "I think Parkland's a great example f adults' realizing that we're infrmed, that we knw and that it was a wakeup call fr adults, that there are issues and there are plicies that pliticians are making every day that affect ur lives," Alik said. Fr Jessica Parks, 16, it's abut schl vilence and cmmunity safety. Since April, Washingtn teen activists have been meeting after schl t map strategy, campaign in their neighbrhds and speak with parents, teachers and peers. They're als meeting with Allen and preparing fr a cuncil hearing n Wednesday. S far, the 16-year-lds have cnvinced seven f the 13 cuncil members that they deserve t vte, but they still need t persuade the rest f America. In all ther U.S. cities, vting ages can be lwered nly fr lcal electins, while electins fr federal ffices are managed at the state

14 level. Washingtn, D.C., which preregisters the age grup during schl-based registratin, uniquely has authrity ver bth lcal and federal electins and therefre wuld be the first place where 16- and 17-year-lds wuld vte fr president. abut ne issue, like guns n campus, but lack plitical knwledge t be effective vters. "My cncern is if 16-year-lds were allwed t vte n any kind f brad scale, what we'd actually be ding is bringing the least plitically infrmed, the least plitically experienced, the least mature in terms f making lng-term judgments and trade-ffs, directly int and ptentially affecting ur vter turnut and results," Davenprt said. In the Washingtn suburb f Takma Park, Maryland, yuth turnut has skyrcketed since 16- and 17-year-lds were given the vte in 2013, with teens vting at mre than twice the rate f lder registered vters every time. Teen vting activists during an interview in Washingtn n Thursday. Frm tp left, Cen Dubse, 16; Oliver Yrk, 19; and Jenny Gnzalez, 16. Frm bttm right, Elijah Rbinsn, 16; Jessica Parks, 16; Alik Schier, 16. NBC News If the measure is apprved at Wednesday's hearing, it will prceed t a legislative sessin in September fr full cuncil actin. Mayr Muriel Bwser has endrsed it. Critics say the teens are just single-issue vters, hping t mve the needle nly n issues such as legal marijuana r cllege lans. But Elijah Rbinsn, 16, said they care abut vilence, climate change, affrdable husing all issues that will affect future generatins." Nt nly that, we d things like adults," he said. "We pay taxes. We have jbs. We have t be at thse jbs n time. We have t be at schl n time, r there'll be penalties."1701:52 David Davenprt, a research fellw in plitics and law at the Hver Institutin at Stanfrd University, said yung peple may get excited "We started lking at ways t create mre turnut in the city electin," said Tim Male, a frmer member f the City Cuncil. "Sctland at the time had started an independence referendum and let 16-year-lds vte, and it just seemed like an bvius thing that we culd talk abut ding." Teens in Takma Park are advcating fr dg parks, hlding mck debates after schl and shwing up at candidate debates. "When smene says 'I want t vte; I'm in a demcracy; I want t vte; I knw wh the candidates are,' hw d yu say n t them?" Male asked. T advcates, lwering the vting age wuld als lead t greater lifelng civic engagement. "If 16- and 17-year-lds actually had the right t vte, they'd be mre mtivated t learn hw the prcess wrks and schls wuld be incentivized t include experiential civics educatin as a cre part f their curriculum," said Sctt Warren, chief executive and funder f Generatin Citizen. As the teens prepare fr the D.C. Cuncil hearing n Wednesday, they're anxius abut what culd be a milestne. "We're all in this cmmunity tgether, but we still dn't have a say in that," said Jenny Gnzalez, the Wilsn High Schl student. "We hpe that changes fr the better."

15 Frm the Brennan Center fr Justice April 2, 2018 Vting Laws Rundup 2018 In 2018, changes t vting laws are again pised t play a majr rle in state legislative agendas. imprving vter access. In ttal, as f April 2 when we at the Brennan Center cmpleted ur latest rund f legislative bill tracking at least 12 states have advanced at least 20 bills expanding vting access thrugh at least ne state legislative chamber. [ii] Legislative sessins have either cmmenced r cncluded in every state that is meeting this year, except Nrth Carlina, and the mst ntable takeaway f this sessin s far is the remarkable mmentum arund autmatic vter registratin, r AVR. What fllws is the Brennan Center s analysis f state legislative activity as f April 2, [i] In March, the New Jersey Senate passed an AVR bill ut f cmmittee with a bipartisan vte. In the same mnth, Washingtn s gvernr signed AVR int law and the Maryland Legislature passed an AVR bill and sent it t the state s gvernr. In additin, the Massachusetts Huse has passed an AVR bill ut f cmmittee. The Utah Senate passed an AVR bill this year, but it died in the Huse. Bradly speaking, mre pr-vter refrms are mving than anti-vter restrictins. Washingtn state has been a significant lcus f pr-vter refrm this year: in additin t AVR, the Legislature passed and the gvernr signed a package f refrms, including electin day registratin, pre-registratin fr 16- and 17-yearlds, and a state-level Vting Rights Act. Califrnia and Utah have als enacted laws Nevertheless, effrts t restrict access t the franchise persist. At least five states have advanced at least six bills restricting vting access thrugh at least ne chamber. [iii] Ntably, the New Hampshire Legislature has passed a bill targeting student vting. In additin, the Gergia Senate passed a pair f bills cutting vting hurs in Atlanta, ne f which als wuld have restricted early vting ptins n weekends. But thse bills were rejected by the state Assembly. Finally, states have taken nly tentative steps t address significant electin security issues ahead f the 2018 electins. S far this year, at least six states have advanced at least eight bills related t electin security thrugh at least ne chamber. [iv] At the federal level, Cngress recently apprpriated $380 millin t help states upgrade their vting systems. This is a necessary, but far frm sufficient, step tward securing ur vting systems. Overview f Expansive Bills As f April 2, at least 41 states and Washingtn D.C. have intrduced r carried ver at least 514 bills expanding vting access.

16 Nvember referendum. The Suth Dakta Legislature has passed a bill facilitating the additin f registratin lcatins. The Wiscnsin Legislature has passed a bill permitting the use f tribal identificatin t register t vte. Bills Passed by One Legislative Chamber (Eight States). Pr-vter refrms that have mved thus far this year include: Bills That Have Been Signed (Three States). The Indiana Senate has passed a bill that wuld implement n-excuse absentee vting. The Kansas Senate has passed a bill imprving access fr vters with disabilities. Washingtn state has enacted: (1) a law implementing autmatic vter registratin, (2) a law implementing electin day registratin, (3) a law implementing preregistratin fr 16- and 17-year-lds, and (4) a state-level Vting Rights Act that grants citizens the right t challenge electral systems that deny race, clr, r language minrity grups an equal pprtunity t elect candidates f their chsing. Califrnia has enacted a law implementing pre-registratin thrugh its AVR system. Utah has enacted (1) a law that extends registratin deadlines and (2) a law that may encurage certain cunties t ffer early vting pprtunities. The Maryland Huse and Senate have each passed separate bills that wuld implement n-excuse absentee vting in municipal electins. The Michigan Senate has passed a bill that wuld permit applicants t register t vte nline thrugh the secretary f state s website. The New Yrk Assembly has passed a bill extending the deadline fr receipt f absentee ballt applicatins. The Oklahma Senate has apprved a bill facilitating pprtunities fr early inpersn vting. The Pennsylvania Senate has passed a bill easing access t absentee ballts fr vters with disabilities. Bills Passed by the Legislature (Three States). The Maryland Legislature has passed (1) a bill implementing autmatic vter registratin and (2) a cnstitutinal amendment that wuld permit the Legislature t implement electin day registratin. If ultimately enacted, the amendment will g t the vters in a The Wiscnsin Huse has apprved a bill expanding access fr military vters.

17 Overview f Restrictive Bills As f April 2, 2018, at least 24 states have intrduced r carried ver at least 70 bills restricting vting access. The Oklahma Huse has passed a bill authrizing the state Electin Bard t cmpare the state vter registratin database t ther state and federal databases and requiring the Bard t refer any individuals n the vter rlls identified as ptential nn-citizens t the district attrney. Overview f Electin Security Bills As f April 2, 2018, at least 26 states have intrduced r carried ver at least 79 bills related t electin security. Nte that this cunt des nt include apprpriatins bills r administrative actin, nr is the Brennan Center pining n the impact r ptential efficacy f these bills in this dcument. N states have enacted restrictive laws yet this year, but restrictive legislatin is still advancing. Bills Passed by the Legislature (Tw States). The Indiana Legislature has apprved a list maintenance bill that fails t fix the prblems with its current list maintenance practices (thugh as we previusly bserved in ftnte 3, this bill presents an unusual case). The New Hampshire Legislature has passed a bill that appears t be directed at deterring student vting. Electin security bills that have mved thus far this year include: Bills Passed by One Legislative Chamber (Fur States). Bills That Have Been Signed (Three States). The Kentucky Huse has passed a bill restricting access t absentee vting. The New Hampshire Huse has passed a bill that appears t be directed at deterring student vting. The Ohi Senate has passed a bill reducing the minimum required number f precinct fficials in certain circumstances. Indiana has enacted (1) a law cntaining a variety f prvisins related t maintaining vting equipment; updating the permissible errr rate fr vting systems t reflect current federal standards; and requiring cunty electin bards t ntify the Secretary f State within 48 hurs f certain security vilatins, and (2) a law regarding pstelectin recnciliatin f vte cunts.

18 Suth Dakta has enacted a law prhibiting vting equipment frm being cnnected t the Internet and prhibiting ballt marking devices frm saving r tabulating vtes. Washingtn has enacted a law expanding the types f pst-electin audits electin fficials may run n direct recrding electrnic r in-persn ballt marking systems t include randm checks f ballt cunting equipment, risklimiting audits, and electrnic audits f ballt cunting equipment. Bills Passed by One Legislative Chamber (Three States). [i] This dcument tracks certain vting legislatin making it easier r harder t register r vte, as well as certain legislatin related t electin security. Nte that there are several types f electin- and vting-related legislatin that we d nt track, including: redistricting, ballt design, enfranchisement f peple under 18 r nn-citizens, r public r individual ntice requirements. The dcument als des nt track administrative changes that culd expand r restrict access. [ii] Califrnia, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Yrk, Oklahma, Pennsylvania, Suth Dakta, Utah, Washingtn, Wiscnsin. This cunt and the cunts f restrictive and electin security bills passed thrugh ne chamber des nt include bills that passed thrugh ne chamber last year and carried ver, r bills that passed thrugh ne chamber and subsequently failed. The Maryland Huse has passed (1) a bill requiring pst-electin, manual audits f vter-verifiable paper recrds fr general electins (and authrizing such audits fr primary electins) and (2) a bill requiring the state electin administratr t ntify the gvernr and ther elected fficials and agencies, within seven days, f security vilatins invlving state electins systems. The Michigan Huse has passed a bill requiring that electrnic vting systems use paper ballts fr tabulating purpses. The Missuri Huse has passed a bill that beginning January 1, 2019 bans future purchase f direct recrding electrnic vting machines and requires that all newly purchased electrnic vting systems read paper ballts that vters have marked by hand r, in the case f disabled vters wh need assistance, frm paper ballts that have been marked by paper-ballt marking devices designed t assist disabled vters. [iii] Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Ohi, Oklahma. Indiana s current law vilates the Natinal Vter Registratin Act f This Indiana bill intrduces sme prtectins against imprper purges, but it des nt address Indiana s unlawful failure t give ntice t vters prir t purging them. [iv] Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missuri, Suth Dakta, Washingtn.

19 NAME: DATE: Vter Rights Pririties Hw d yu think Oregn shuld EXPAND vting rights? Are there any RESTRICTIONS n vting rights that yu think will affect Oregnians wh want t vte in 2018? What is yur pinin abut lwering the vting age explain yur reasning:

20

21 3.3 What is gerrymandering and hw des it affect vter rights? Handuts: What is Gerrymandering Article: What Pennsylvania s new cngressinal map means fr 2018 Article: Drive Against Gerrymandering Finds New Life in Ballt Measures Hw shuld we deal with plitical gerrymandering fr future electins? Understanding Gerrymandering Plitical gerrymandering has been an issue fr ver 150 years in the United States. But recently there has been a new revival in the push t und a lt f the plitical lines that have been drawn in the past decades. Much f this push is due t the race-based district apprtinment that has happened in many states, especially fllwing the Shelby Cunty Supreme Curt case which lifted sme aspects f the Vting Rights Law. This lessn delves int what gerrymandering is and hw it wrks. It als challenges students t cnsider what culd be dne abut it in the future. Suggested Opener: A fun pener might be t shw the ld Pennsylvania district map prir t the mst recent 2018 curt-rdered changes. See if students can find District 7 r 6. Ask them if they can figure ut why the lines might have been drawn that way! Lessn Optins: 1. Jigsaw r read thrugh tgether the explanatin f gerrymandering and the articles abut recent gerrymandering issues. 2. Challenge the class in either a discussin r writing assignment abut what is mst fair when states apprtin their vting districts after a census. What kind f apprtinment might create the best pprtunities fr vter access and mtivate vters t turn ut? 3. The Slutin Tree analysis is a Cause and Effect exercise that asks students t cnsider sme slutins t the plitical gerrymandering issue. With a slutin tree, students start at the bttm and name as many rts t the prblem (causes) as they can. arund the rts, students can write what they think causes the prblems f plitical gerrymandering. Next at the trunk f the tree, they name ne clear prblem thse rts cause this can be whatever they cme up with as the pinpint prblem f the issue f gerrymandering. Finally, each f the branches ffers an pprtunity t name a slutin. Slutins can be categrized alng bigger branches and stems, r there can be many multiple ideas. A cnclusin t the slutin tree might be t have the students wrk tgether n a tree and then have a whle class discussin, r cntribute t a whle class tree drawn fr everyne t cme t a final idea abut what slutin might be pssible t help vters in 2018 and the future have the mst access t fair vting.

22 What is Gerrymandering? At the writing f the Cnstitutin, the Framers decided t leave it up t the states t decide hw they wuld pick their Representatives fr Cngress. The nly requirement was that it had t be based n ppulatin. The ppulatin cunt is t be updated every 10 years, accrding t the Cnstitutin. Many states tk t dividing up vting districts t favr certain plitical parties r interest grups. In 1812, the wrd Gerry-mander was created t describe Massachusetts Gvernr Gerry s cntrted drawing f vting districts t favr his plitical party. The mander part f the wrd was taken frm the fact that his newly drawn districts lked like a strange salamander Frm then n, the practice f trying t draw vting district lines t favr a grup has been knwn as gerrymandering. Imagine a state as a gegraphical grid with a certain number f vters. Say a certain percentage f them traditinally vte Republican (ften represented with the clr red), and the ther half vte Demcratic (ften represented with the clr blue). After receiving its new census numbers, there are several ways a state culd divide these vters up:

23 Infgraphic n Plitical Gerrymandering frm SubscriptLaw.cm:

24 Frm Vx News March 19, 2018 By Andrew Prkp What Pennsylvania s new cngressinal map means fr 2018 It s fficial: Pennsylvania will get a new US Huse f Representatives map fr 2018, replacing an ld map the state s supreme curt struck dwn as a Republican partisan gerrymander. A last-ditch effrt frm the state GOP t blck the map failed Mnday, as the US Supreme Curt declined t intervene in the matter. After their landslide victries in the 2010 midterm electins, Republicans gerrymandered Pennsylvania within an inch f its life, in what Sean Trende f RealClearPlitics suggested culd be the gerrymander f the decade. Here s the map the GOP came up with: The new map is psitively fantastic news fr Demcrats in their effrt t take back the Huse this fall. Demcrats get everything they culd want, the New Yrk Times s Nate Chn tweeted when he first saw the map. With few exceptins it s Demcrats dream cme true, the Ck Plitical Reprt s Dave Wasserman tweeted. GOP nt ging t like this at all. The net impact f the new map is: It creates tw new districts where Demcrats are favred that didn t exist in the previus map (and in ne f thse, they re verwhelmingly favred). It keeps the same number f very clsely divided swing districts that existed befre (three). It changes ne district that had been verwhelmingly Republican t be ne where the GOP is favred but nt entirely certain t win (Trump wn the new district by abut 9 pints). Overall, it reduces by ne the number f safe Republican districts (where Trump wn by mre than 15 pints), and by ne the number f lean Republican districts (where Trump wn by 5 t 15 pints). S pen seats held by retiring GOP Reps. Pat Meehan and Charlie Dent are mre likely t flip, Republican incumbents like Rep. Ryan Cstell and Keith Rthfus are nw mre embattled, and even GOP Rep. Sctt Perry is n lnger assured f skating t reelectin. Pennsylvania s ld and new maps, cmpared Natinal Atlas Nte abve the ddly shaped districts surrunding Pittsburgh n the suthwest f the map the 12th and 18th and the truly bizarre mess arund Philadelphia n its east side, especially the cntrtinist 6th and 7th districts. Ugly-lking districts dn t always pint t gerrymandering, but in this case, they d Republicans tried t pack Demcratic-leaning areas tgether int very few districts while surrunding the state s big cities with districts Republicans wuld win cmfrtably. T get a sense f hw pwerful Pennsylvania s gerrymander was, cnsider that in 2012, Demcratic candidates wn slightly mre vtes in US Huse electins and Barack Obama wn the state. But the state s 18 Huse seats didn t split 9-9 between the parties instead, Republicans wn 13 seats there, and Demcrats just wn five. N seats changed partisan hands in the 2014 r 2016 electins, either. But this January, the state Supreme Curt which has a Demcratic majrity struck dwn the existing map as a partisan gerrymander that, a majrity f justices wrte, vilated the state

25 cnstitutin. The Republican state legislature and Gv. Tm Wlf (D) failed t agree n a new map, s the curt instituted ne itself. The new map, belw, lks cleaner, splits fewer cunties, and will likely lead t many mre cmpetitive electins: partisan numbers fr each new district, and yu shuld really read the whle thing. But my tp-level takeaways frm their new numbers are as fllws. First ff, districts ptential cmpetitiveness can be measured in different ways, but if we take the bvius measurement f hw much each presidential candidate wn in each district in 2016, we mve frm: 11 districts Trump wn by 5 pints r mre in the ld map t 9 in the new map Fur districts Clintn wn by 5 pints r mre in the ld map t 6 in the new map Three swing districts that neither presidential candidate wn by mre than 5 pints in bth maps S in the suthwest f the map, Pittsburgh is suddenly surrunded by ne safe Republican district (the 14th) and ne swing district (the new 17th), rather than the tw safe Republican districts that existed befre. Arund Philadelphia in the east, meanwhile, the cnspicuus cntrtins are nw gne. The new map is much mre favrable t Demcrats than mst electin wnks expected, given the gegraphic patterns f where peple actually live in Pennsylvania. Indeed, as Trende wrte in an interesting tweetstrm, the cnsistent, subtle chices made make clear that this map was drawn with an eye tward shifting multiple districts leftward t increase cmpetitiveness. But it desn t seem t be an verwhelmingly r unfairly Demcratic map, since, after all, Trump still wn 10 f the 18 new districts. It s a map designed, seemingly deliberately, t cmpensate fr the party s gegraphic disadvantages and give them a fighting sht in several districts. What the map means fr 2018 The New Yrk Times s Nate Chn, Matthew Blch, and Kevin Quealy put tgether this extremely helpful breakdwn f the new S even frm that bird s-eye view pegged t 2016 results, it s clear that, n net, tw districts became much mre Demcratic in the new map. Nw, let s get mre specific abut what the changes mean fr particular districts and members f Cngress: The pen district held by Rep. Pat Meehan (R), wh is retiring due t a sexual harassment scandal, is changed frm a clsely divided district t ne Clintn wn by 28 pints making fr a near-certain Demcratic pickup there (the Fifth District, in the new numbering) Rep. Ryan Cstell (R) is mved frm a very evenly divided district t ne Clintn wn by nearly 10 pints (the Sixth District, under bth the ld and new numbering). Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R) represents a swing district that becmes just slightly mre Demcratic (the First District, in the new numbering). The area represented by retiring Rep. Charlie Dent (R) changes frm a district Trump wn by 8 pints t a district Clintn narrwly wn (the Seventh District in the new numbering).

26 Rep. Keith Rthfus (R), wh represented a safe Republican district, is suddenly thrwn int a swing district where Cnr Lamb, the impressive Demcratic candidate wh wn last week s special electin under the ld map, will run. (This is the new 17th District.) Then Rep. Sctt Perry (R) is mved frm a safe Republican district t a district Trump wn by 8.9 pints a slid win, but nt an verwhelming ne. With a strng Demcratic challenger r a big Demcratic wave, this district nw lks at least ptentially flippable. (This is the new 10th District.) All in all, that makes six Republican-held seats that suddenly have a mre Demcratic electrate with the pen seats held by Meehan and Dent, and the seats currently held by Cstell and Rthfus, suddenly grwing much mre likely t flip. Hwever, there s als ne ntable change the ther way, as Rep. Llyd Smucker (R) mves frm a lean Trump district t a slidly Republican ne (the new 11th District). In cntrast, there are n cmparable changes that put any f the few districts held by Demcrats int play. Only ne f them, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D), currently represents a district Trump wn (by abut 10 pints), and his district s partisan breakdwn lks like it will stay abut the same, per the Times. (This will be the new Eighth District.) Beynd that, there were fur mre safe Demcratic seats befre and after the new map. The big picture is that this new map is enrmusly gd news fr Demcrats in their effrt t take back the Huse. Republicans currently hld the majrity in the entire Huse f Representatives by 24 seats (which will drp t 23 if Cnr Lamb s victry last week is certified). Nw, all f a sudden, their chances in several key Pennsylvania races have sharply imprved there are nw five very plausible pickup pprtunities in this state alne. If the party can scre victries n this mre favrable new turf, it will be a majr help in their effrts t retake the chamber.

27 New Yrk Times July 23, 2018 By Michael Wines Drive Against Gerrymandering Finds New Life in Ballt Initiatives The mvement t take plitics ut f setting legislative district bundaries seemed t suffer a grievus, and perhaps even mrtal, blw this spring when the Supreme Curt passed up three chances t declare partisan gerrymandering uncnstitutinal. In Missuri, anther nnpartisan grup called Clean Missuri needed 180,000 signatures t get its antigerrymander initiative n the ballt; it cllected 346,000. Final certificatin is expected next mnth. In Utah, a grup called Better Bundaries cllected 190,000 signatures, 75,000 mre than were required, t place its prpsitin t end gerrymanders n the Nvember ballt. And in Clrad, bth the Demcratic-run state Huse and the Republican-run Senate vted unanimusly in May t place tw prpsals n the Nvember ballt that wuld shift the duty t draw state legislative and cngressinal districts away frm lawmakers and int the hands f independent redistricting cmmissins. Thse prpsals jin anther, in Ohi, that became law in May. The state legislature there put a measure t curb partisan gerrymandering f the state s cngressinal districts n the ballt fr the state s May 8 primary, after it became apparent that a citizens campaign fr an even tugher measure was likely t succeed. Ohians apprved the legislature s versin by a three-t-ne margin. A rally in Lansing, Mich., n July 18 supprting a ballt measure that wuld change hw the state s legislative district maps are drawn. Credit: Dale G. Yung/Detrit News, via Assciated Press But it turns ut that reprts f its death are exaggerated. As federal curts dither ver hw t reslve the issue, activists have begun tackling it state by state at the grass rts. In Michigan, a prpsed cnstitutinal amendment t end gerrymandering, written and prmted by a nnpartisan grup called Vters Nt Pliticians, will be n the ballt in Nvember, unless blcked by a curt challenge that has s far fallen shrt. S many Michiganders signed petitins t bring the measure t a vte 110,000 mre than state law requires that the grup ended its signature campaign 70 days shrt f the six mnths allwed. It s the best refrm map we ve seen in decades, said Jshua Silver, the chief executive fficer f the cleangvernment advcacy grup RepresentUs, which has ffered supprt t all five initiative campaigns. It is remarkable that five states are hlding ballt measures n the issue in a single year; nly five had taken them up ver the entire preceding decade. Vters in Denver cast ballts in the Clrad primary in June. The state legislature has put tw prpsals n the Nvember ballt that wuld turn district bundary-setting ver t an independent cmmissin. Credit: Ryan David Brwn fr The New Yrk Times

28 Just as unusual is hw little ppsitin the measures are meeting, at least s far. Beynd Michigan, where the state Chamber f Cmmerce and the Republican attrney general are trying t blck the antigerrymandering initiative, rganized resistance t the prpsals has been scant. Mr. Silver cmpares the change in public pinin n gerrymandering the practice f drawing maps t disprprtinately favr ne party t the shifts n ther issues like gay marriage, where vters views were ften shwn t be changing far faster than natinal plitical dgma. In the past, nly a handful f states Idah, Iwa and Arizna amng them embraced genuinely nnpartisan redistricting, while mst states cntinued t treat mapmaking as the privilege f the party in pwer. Natinally, Republicans have denunced attacks n gerrymanders as assaults n their plitical pwer understandably s, because the Republican landslide in 2010 allwed the party t redistrict its way t lng-term cntrl f Cngress, with Huse seats far ut f prprtin t its share f the vte in many states. Frm 2008 t 2018, nly Califrnia vted t strip state legislatrs f the pwer t draw all plitical bundaries. (New Yrk vters apprved nnpartisan redistricting in 2014 and Ohi vters in 2015, but nly fr state legislative seats, nt fr Cngress.) Anti-gerrymander initiatives in Ohi and Suth Dakta were defeated in 2012 and But advcates say that public disgust with the state f plitics is increasingly verriding partisan sentiment n the issue. Gerrymandering resnates with peple in a way it didn t even a few years ag, said Michael Li, senir cunsel in the Demcracy Prgram at the Brennan Center fr Justice at New Yrk University. We re in a very distrustful mment. Peple think that peple in pwer the insider class will d anything they can t keep it. Mr. Silver f RepresentUs said he agreed. One thing that bth Trump supprters and Bernie s vters and pretty much all vters agree n is that the system is rigged, he said, referring t Bernie Sanders, the liberal senatr frm Vermnt. In a plitical envirnment that s cnfusing and frustrating t mst Americans, this is an easy issue t understand. Only 26 states allw citizen-driven ballt initiatives, s their reach is limited. But legal experts and advcates say the campaign t end gerrymandering has ther ptins it can pursue besides ballt initiatives. Many states have cnstitutins that may ffer mre scpe fr lawsuits challenging gerrymandered maps than the federal curts d. Last winter the Pennsylvania Supreme Curt became the first curt t invalidate a state s cngressinal map as an uncnstitutinal partisan gerrymander. And legislatures in sme states, like Clrad, have begun t pnder whether the plitical and legal tll frm partisan redistricting utweighs the advantages. Pennsylvania and Luisiana have seen the beginnings f bipartisan legislative effrts this year t hand ver redistricting t aplitical cmmissins. Vters in Ohi strngly supprted a measure n the primary ballt in May that limits partisan cntrl f electral map-making in the state. Credit: Jhn Minchill/Assciated Press The current plitical climate is s unsettled, Mr. Li said, that legislatrs in sme states wrry abut whether their party can cunt n having a majrity and with it, authrity ver redistricting after the 2018 and 2020 electins. Yu dn t necessarily knw wh s ging t be in cntrl in 2021 in many states, he said. That uncertainty creates an incentive t be reasnable in ways yu didn t have in the past.