Redistricting Plans

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/11/opinion/redistricting.html

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To the Editor:

Re “The Furtive Artists of Power Politics: Mapmakers” (news article, Jan. 30):

Never before have so many states faced court challenges to redistricting plans based on the 2010 census as we have before the courts today this late in the decade. While states will always retain experts to redraw legislative maps, fair, objective and prioritized rules can help limit partisan and racial gerrymandering.

The New York City Charter provides a strong model for redrawing city council districts by keeping like-minded communities together; avoiding bizarrely shaped districts; and making sure that travel within the district is convenient without having to cross into another district.

No legal court challenges were brought to plans enacted by the city after the 2003 and 2013 City Council redistricting cycles partly as a result of a methodological process that balanced the law with community concerns. It’s not that difficult a task for others to follow to avoid litigation.

JEFFREY M. WICE, NEW YORK

The writer is a fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government. He served as redistricting counsel to two New York City Council redistricting commissions and to both chambers in the New York Legislature.