This bill, called the Representation Act, would require the state office or body that draws congressional maps to identify and document "communities of interest" before redistricting. States must accept and publish proposed communities submitted by residents and consider adding them to the official list. Once a community is documented, the State may not split it into more than one congressional district except when needed to achieve equal population, to follow the Voting Rights Act, or to keep another community of interest whole. The State must publish written justifications when it divides a documented community, describe how it considered proposed communities, and explain choices when one documented community is preserved at the expense of another. The bill allows residents to sue in federal court if a documented community is split or if a proposed community was not considered or documented as required. The Election Assistance Commission must make mapping standards and tools available to States. The bill defines a community of interest as a geographically connected population with shared cultural, historical, economic, or social characteristics.
If you live in a place people consider a community of interest, your State would have to accept proposals about that community and may have to add it to a public list. If the State divides that documented community across multiple congressional districts, the State must publish a written explanation. If you believe your documented community was split illegally, or your proposed community was not considered, you could bring a case in federal court to enforce these rules. The Election Assistance Commission would offer standards and mapping tools to help States identify these communities.
No publicly available information.
The bill’s text frames its purpose as preserving documented communities of interest in congressional redistricting, increasing transparency about how communities are treated, and providing a judicial remedy for residents when the law’s rules are not followed. It also directs the Election Assistance Commission to provide mapping standards and tools to assist States.
No publicly available information.