Redistricting FAQ
Between pandemic-related delays and pending lawsuits, the redistricting timeline has been up in the air (and still is for many states and municipalities) for the past 18 months. We’ve heard from several Cicero users already that they are anxious about the redistricting process and want to make sure they’re on top of it. We assure you that we are following this issue closely — accurate and updated legislative districts are our bread and butter! In this blog, we’ll walk through some frequently asked questions about the redistricting process, including when data will be available in Cicero and how you can access it.
When will the redistricting process begin?
On August 12th, the U.S. Census Bureau released the PL94–171 files — better known as the redistricting data, which officially kicks off the redistricting timeline in most states and cities. Others will wait for adjusted data to be released, depending on the laws of that state. The adjusted data is necessary to reallocate prisoners to the districts in which they are registered to vote and to move census block boundaries due to changes in voting precincts. Some states (like Colorado, Illinois, and Oklahoma) already proposed new districts based on projected population data, but those plans will likely be tossed out in court. Want to read more about the impact of delayed Census data on redistricting? Check out our previous blog on the topic.
Does every state have to redraw districts?
In short, yes. You might remember that back in April of this year, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2020 Apportionment numbers based on the resident population of each state. These numbers are used to determine how many congressional districts each state gets. Based on those numbers, only 13 states will have a different number of congressional districts, but all states will redraw their congressional districts based on population shifts within their state. Additionally, due to each state’s population change in the past decade, all states will redraw their state legislative districts as well. Cities and counties that have districted representation (as opposed to at-large districts) will do the same.
When will new districts be available?
Each state’s redistricting process and timeline are different. Thank you federalism! Some state legislatures draw districts, some use independent commissions, some require a certain amount of public involvement and feedback. Each of these processes requires different amounts of time to successfully redraw districts. In most cases, once the redistricting data has been released, states must have their districts drawn and approved within 6 to 8 months.
The Cicero Team is keeping close track of when those plans are being released. Once a state’s districts have officially been approved by the governing body in that state (sometimes an Independent Redistricting Commission, sometimes the Governor, etc.), we are committed to uploading those districts to Cicero within 2 weeks.
How can I access future districts in Cicero?
Once the new districts are in Cicero, you might be wondering how you’ll be able to access them. That depends on how you use Cicero:
Accessing future districts with the Cicero API
To access future districts with the Cicero API, you must use the “legislative_district” resource, not the “official” resource. The “official” resource will give you no results, as there are not yet elected officials voted into new districts. Instead, use the “legislative_district” resource and “filter-by-district-valid-range” parameters in your call. To do this most effectively, use the “valid_on_or_after” parameter and use a date that falls after the term start date of when these officials will begin serving in new districts. For example, new congressional districts will go into effect for the congressional term beginning in January of 2023. To pull in future congressional districts, simply use the “valid_on_or_after” parameter with the date 2023–01–03 — anything on that date or after will be using the new districts.
Accessing future districts with District Match
April 2022 update: This feature is live! Read more about it in our announcement post.
You can now run District Match projects to match to either current districts, future districts, or both in any given project (note: you can only match to future districts, not future officials). This feature allows you to run reports on what districts your members fall into currently, and/or activate your member base for the 2022 election season in their future districts. Give it a try!
Accessing future districts with the Cicero integration in Salesforce NPSP
Currently, there is no support for future districts with the Cicero integration in Salesforce NPSP. But not to worry — as soon as officials are elected in those new districts and they become the current districts, it will be reflected in the integration.
Accessing future districts with the Cicero extension in CiviCRM
We recently updated the Cicero extension in CiviCRM to allow for matching to future districts. Once new districts have been uploaded to Cicero, you will be able to access them in CiviCRM. Simply go to the settings for the Electoral API extension, make sure you’ve chosen Cicero as your data provider, and input your Cicero API key. Then, check the box for “include future districts”. Now future districts will be appended to your records.
Visualize future districts with the Cicero Officials & Districts lookup tool
When new districts become available, you’ll also be able to visualize what they will look like using our free Officials & Districts lookup tool. For more information on this feature, check out our previous blog.
When do new districts go into effect?
Another shout-out to federalism — the answer to this question also depends on the state and/or municipality. Most legislative bodies have their eye on the elections in 2022. In order for these districts to take effect for the 2022 general election in November, they will have to be approved in time for the primary election, often 3–6 months before the general election. Regardless, the districts will not go live for officials in Cicero until their new term begins following those elections. As mentioned above, you’ll be able to access the new districts as future districts in the months preceding the term start date, but the day the officials’ term begins in the new districts, the current districts will become invalid and the new districts will become the default districts.
Are other countries doing redistricting this year?
Every country has a different redistricting process. No other country that Cicero carries data for will be conducting redistricting this year. However, Canada is next! Canada will conduct their decennial census this year and begin its “redistribution” work in 2022. This likely won’t affect elections there until 2024. But, as always, we’ll keep you updated.
How can I track Cicero’s progress?
Great question! We are working on building out our own public-facing redistricting tracker, which will update in real-time when future districts are available in Cicero and when those districts go into effect.
We will also be releasing a new free API endpoint in the coming weeks for “redistricting_events”, where you’ll be able to access information on every state and municipality’s redistricting timelines.
In sum, stay tuned!
We hope this information is helpful. It is always our goal to make sure you have the most up-to-date information. We will strive to make new districts available as soon as possible and keep you informed when that data becomes available. This process only happens on this scale in the US every 10 years and will be ongoing over the next several months. There will likely be many more questions and bumps in the road. We are here to help! Please reach out at any time with any questions that arise for you and your team.
