Gerrymandering the States Partisanship, Race, and the Transformation of American Federalism

State legislatures are tasked with drawing state and federal districts and administering election law, among many other responsibilities. Yet state legislatures are themselves gerrymandered. This book examines how, why, and with what consequences, drawing on an original dataset of ninety-five state legislative maps from before and after 2011 redistricting. Identifying the institutional, political, and geographic determinants of gerrymandering, the authors find that Republican gerrymandering increased dramatically after the 2011 redistricting and bias was most extreme in states with racial segregation where Republicans drew the maps. This bias has had long-term consequences. For instance, states with the most extreme Republican gerrymandering were more likely to pass laws that restricted voting rights and undermined public health, and they were less likely to respond to COVID-19. The authors examine the implications for American democracy and for the balance of power between federal and state government; they also offer empirically grounded recommendations for reform.

1. Redistricting wars in the U.S. States; 2. What happened in 2011? The other 'great gerrymander'; 3. When politicians draw the maps; 4. How political geography affects bias; 5. Racial geography, the voting rights act, and bias; 6. The policy and social consequences of state legislative gerrymandering; 7. The democratic harms of gerrymandering; 8. When the courts redistrict; 9. How to design effective anti-gerrymandering reforms; Conclusion; References; Index.

Alex Keena is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Michael Latner is Professor of Political Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Senior Fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists' Center for Science and Democracy in Washington, DC.
Anthony J. McGann is Professor of Government and Public Policy at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Charles Anthony Smith is Professor in Political Science and Law at the University of California, Irvine.