Section 1. This Act may be cited as the “Fair Representation and Geometric Simplification in Redistricting Act”.
Section 2. Definitions
For the purposes of this Act:
- “Redistricting” means the process of drawing electoral district boundaries.
- “Gerrymandering” refers to the practice of drawing district boundaries to provide electoral advantages to a particular party or group.
- “Independent Redistricting Commission” refers to a non-partisan body tasked with drawing electoral district boundaries.
- “Compactness” refers to the extent to which a district is close to being a geometrically regular shape.
- “Navigable Body of Water” refers to any body of water that currently supports commercial vessel traffic.
Section 3. Establishment of an Independent Redistricting Commission
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Section 4. Criteria for Redistricting
In drawing district boundaries, the Commission shall adhere to the following criteria, listed in order of priority:
- Constitutional and Legal Compliance:
- Districts must comply with the federal and state constitutional provisions and the Voting Rights Act.
- Geometric Simplification:
- Each district must be defined by no more than four straight lines, unless one of the boundaries is formed by a navigable body of water. In such cases, the water boundary can serve as one of the defining lines without restriction.
- Compactness:
- Districts must aim for a Polsby-Popper score of at least 0.15.
- Efficiency Gap:
- The redistricting plan should target an efficiency gap of no more than 5%.
- Contiguity and Community of Interest:
- Districts must be contiguous and reflect natural geographic and community boundaries.