This month, in lieu of a “Book Corner” review, we offer a list of resources for reading and research about redistricting. This list is far from exhaustive, but it may prove useful to those interested in learning more about redistricting or participating in the process.
Websites:
▪ Ballotpedia: State-by-State Redistricting Procedures, https://ballotpedia.org/State-by-state_redistricting_procedures
▪ Brennan Center for Justice: Redistricting Resources, https://www.brennancenter.org/search/?q=redistricting&
▪ FiveThirtyEight: The Atlas of Redistricting, https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-maps/
▪ League of Women Voters of California: Redistricting, https://my.lwv.org/california/redistricting
▪ League of Women Voters of California: Redistricting in California, https://my.lwv.org/sites/default/files/leagues/wysiwyg/%5Bcurrent-user%3Aog-user-node%3A1%3Atitle%5D/2020_11_redistricting_one_pager.pdf
▪ League of Women Voters of California: Redistricting Resource List, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N4ZbLQIEdCUecyK6K2Oad5P_CRcFZGV-gMWfwL73hxw/edit#
▪ League of Women Voters of the United States: Ten Things You Should Know about Redistricting, https://my.lwv.org/california/pasadena/article/10-things-you-should-know-about-redistricting
▪ Madison [WI] Public Library: Gerrymandering Book List, https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/reading-and-viewing/book-lists/gerrymandering-book-list
▪ NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Asian American Justice Center, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund: The Impact of Redistricting in Your Community, https://voting.naacpldf.org/media/f4cdtdai/impact-of-redistricting-in-your-community-2010.pdf
▪ National Conference of State Legislatures: Redistricting, https://www.ncsl.org/research/redistricting.aspx
▪ National Conference of State Legislatures: Redistricting Systems: A 50-State Overview, https://www.ncsl.org/research/redistricting/redistricting-systems-a-50-state-overview.aspx
▪ Reclaim the American Dream: Rigged Elections and Gerrymander Reform: Additional Readings, https://reclaimtheamericandream.org/readings-gerrymander/
Books:
▪ Abrams, Stacey. Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America, 2020.
▪ Anderson, Carol. One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy, 2018.
▪ Arnold, Andrew B. A Pocket Guide to the US Constitution: What Every American Needs to Know, 2018.
▪ Barbar, Benjamin R. A Passion for Democracy: American Essays, 2021.
▪ Bickerstaff, Steve, and C. Robert Heath. Gerrymandering Texas, 2020.
▪ Brown, Mitchell, Kathleen Hale, et al. The Future of Election Administration: Cases and Conversations (Elections, Voting, Technology), 2020.
▪ Bullock, Charles S., III. Redistricting: The Most Political Activity in America, 2010.
▪ Burke, Christophe M. The Appearance of Equality: Racial Gerrymandering, Redistricting, and the Supreme Court (Contributions in Legal Studies Book 89), 1999.
▪ Canon, David T. Race, Redistricting, and Representation: The Unintended Consequences of Black Majority Districts (American Politics and Political Economy Series), 2020.
▪ Cheeseman, Nic, and Brian Klaas. How to Rig an Election, 2019.
▪ Clayton, Dewey M. African Americans and the Politics of Congressional Redistricting (Race and Politics), 2004.
▪ Crass, Scott. Departures on the House: How Retirements, Redistricting and Scandal Yielded a Near-Postwar Record of House Members Exiting in 1992, 2020.
▪ Daley, David. Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy, 2020.
▪ Eckman, Sarah J. Apportionment and Redistricting Process for the U.S. House of Representatives, 2019.
▪ Fleischer, Jeff. Votes of Confidence: A Young Person’s Guide to American Elections, 2nd edition, 2020.
▪ Gehl, Katherine M. The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy, 2020.
▪ Herbert, J., and Paul Smith. The Realist’s Guide to Redistricting: Avoiding the Legal Pitfalls, 2011.
▪ Hum, Tarry. Redistricting and the New Demographic: Defining “Communities of Interest” in New York City, 2002.
▪ Keith, Garry A. Rotten Boroughs, Political Thickets, and Legislative Donnybrooks: Redistricting in Texas (Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture), 2013.
▪ Kondik, Kyle. The Long Red Thread: How Democratic Dominance Gave Way to Republican Advantage in US House Elections, 2021.
▪ Kury, Franklin L. Gerrymandering: A Guide to Congressional Redistricting, Dark Money, and the US Supreme Court, 2018.
▪ Litt, David. Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier than You Think, 2020.
▪ McDonald, Michael P., and Micah Altman. The Public Mapping Project: How Public Participation Can Revolutionize Redistricting, 2018.
▪ Medvic, Stephen K. Gerrymandering: The Politics of Redistricting in the United States, 2021.
▪ Miller, William J., Jeremy D. Walling, et al. The Political Battle over Congressional Redistricting, 2013.
▪ Monmonier, Mark S. Bushmanders & Bullwinkles: How Politicians Manipulate Electronic Maps and Census Data to Win Elections, 2001.
▪ Morrison, Peter A., and Thomas M. Bryan. Redistricting: A Manual for Analysts, Practitioners, and Citizens, 2020.
▪ Richomme, Olivier. Race and Partisanship in California Redistricting: From the 1965 Voting Rights Act to Present, 2019.
▪ Rodden, Jonathan. Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide, 2019.
▪ Rodriguez, Orlando J. Vote Thieves: Illegal Immigration, Redistricting, and Presidential Elections, 2011.
▪ Rosenfeld, Steven, and David Talbot. Democracy Betrayed: How Superdelegates, Redistricting, Party Insiders, and the Electoral College Rigged the 2016 Election, 2018.
▪ Roth, Zachary. The Great Suppression: Voting Rights, Corporate Cash, and the Conservative Assault on Democracy, 2016.
▪ Squire, Peverill, and Gary Moncrief. State Legislatures Today: Politics under the Domes, 2019.
▪ Tarter, Brent. Gerrymanders: How Redistricting Has Protected Slavery, White Supremacy, and Partisan Minorities in Virginia, 2019.
▪ Waldman, Michael. The Fight to Vote, 2016.
▪ Ward, Lue. Drawn Out, Sworn In: A Story of Local Redistricting and the Peanut City Miracle, 2014.
▪ Wehle, Kim. What You Need to Know About Voting and Why, 2020.
▪ Whitby, Andrew. The Sum of the People: How the Census Has Shaped Nations, from the Ancient World to the Modern Age, 2020.
▪ Winburn, Jonathan. The Realities of Redistricting: Following the Rules and Limiting Gerrymandering in State Legislative Redistricting, 2009.
