Why politicians pit one race against another in redistricting
Jackson Reese, vice president of the California Policy Center think tank, pulls back the curtain on the county's and city's redistricting follies, and breaks down how politicians and interest groups shamelessly use the process to advance their electoral interests.
Opportunity Now: The redistricting process has been a cold-water shower for a lot of county residents this year. People are wondering: How on Earth can this process be so messed up? It feels like a Banana Republic in action.
Jackson Reese: Redistricting is like that — you forget about it for nine years and then it comes back to the forefront. Here's the big thing people need to remember: politicians have their self-interest as the main motivator. They are running campaigns, so they want to make it easier for themselves. The sad thing that can happen is that real representation can be sacrificed for a particular politician's agenda.
Opp Now: There's race-baiting around every corner in this debate, what role is race supposed to play in redistricting?
JR: The law treats culture or race as a primary factor in the creation of a representative map. If you're living in an area that continually has representation that doesn't reflect the racial or ethnic makeup of your district, it can be a sign that something's off, at least that's the way the law looks at it.
Redistricting is supposed to keep communities of interests in place, and culture is one of those communities--not the only one, but one of them. The law looks for communities that are easily identifiable. So, if you cut through certain racial groups to dilute their vote, it will become an issue, and that's the root of legal challenges based on the California Voting Rights Act. The courts have determined that race is a strong enough factor when it comes to communities of interest, so maps are often challenged on that basis.
Opp Now: But why does it seem like some races get more currency than others? There are credible claims that Latinx votes are getting magnified in the county at the expense of Asian votes.
JR: The lack of Vietnamese elected in San Jose should raise eyebrows, given their large population in the city. Asians as a cultural group are often treated by progressives as not distinct from White people, due to the statistical success of the group as a whole. So, it sometimes appears as though the Left has stopped looking out for Asians. When progressives redistrict, they often draw districts that lump whites and Asians together. This may not even be intentional; it just may be that progressives prioritize other groups over Asians. Certain groups also may be better organized politically than others, so they can push their agenda with the map-makers more aggressively.
Opp Now: What makes a legal challenge successful?
JR: Cities really do not want to have legal challenges to their redistricting because it can result in them giving up map-drawing power altogether. So cities will work hard to avoid those challenges, And if a challenge comes, they often just redraw the map to appease the plaintiffs. Cities, quite understandably, don't want judges or special interest groups drawing their political maps.
More on the California Policy Center can be found here.
Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity.
Photo taken by Erica Fischer.