Redistricting

American Bar Association

Standing Committee on Election Law

Resolution

BE IT RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association supports fair redistricting of congressional, legislative, and local government districts with full citizen participation, and to accomplish such fair redistricting the American Bar Association recommends that state and local governments adopt procedures for redistricting which:

1. require reasonably timely public notice of redistricting hearings;
2. provide for open hearings when the body drawing the district lines is considering redistricting options prior to final adoption of the district boundaries;
3. make the record of any hearings publicly available;
4. make all proposed redistricting plans publicly available as clearly depicted maps accompanied by the relevant population statistics for each proposed district;
5. make the legislative data and records upon which proposed redistricting plans are based publicly available at reasonable costs in advance of final passage of the redistricting plan;
6. afford the opportunity to qualified voters to challenge a proposed redistricting plan within a reasonable period of time; and
7. determine responsibility and procedure for revising rejected or overturned redistricting plans.