Legal Defense Fund Applauds Legislation Ending Prison-Based Gerrymandering in California

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) applauds the California State Legislature for passing legislation to end prison-based gerrymandering in California, and Assembly Member Mike Davis, who sponsored the bill. 

This new legislation will help bring California's redistricting process in line with basic principles of democracy, and will serve as a model for other states in the effort to count incarcerated populations correctly in the next round of redistricting.  LDF consulted on the drafting of this legislation and advocated for its adoption.

During the current redistricting cycle, California counted prisoners where they are incarcerated, a practice known as "prison-based gerrymandering."  Prison-based gerrymandering artificially inflates population numbers – and thus, political influence – in districts where prisons are located, at the expense of all other districts.  This practice violates the principle of "one person, one vote" enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which requires that election districts be roughly equal in size, so that elected officials each represent the same number of constituents.  

With approximately 140,000 incarcerated persons in California, the proper counting of incarcerated individuals is critical to ensuring fair representation throughout the state. 

"Because California's incarcerated persons are disproportionately  people of color, with African-Americans and Latinos comprising 70 percent of the state's prisoners but only 40 percent of its overall population, the current counting of incarcerated persons at their place of incarceration, rather than at their pre-arrest residence, severely weakens the voting strength of entire communities of color," said John Payton, LDF President and Director-Counsel.  "Fortunately, California took an important step in the right direction in curing this problematic practice." 

"We urge Governor Brown to sign this legislation into law, and to encourage other states to enact similar legislation before the next redistricting cycle begins," said Dale Ho, Assistant Counsel in LDF's Political Participation Group.  "Moving forward, the Census Bureau should ease the burden on state and local governments by changing its enumeration methods to count prisoners in their home communities in the next decennial census."

ABOUT LDF
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is America's premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. LDF also defends the gains and protections won over the past 70 years of civil rights struggle and works to improve the quality and diversity of judicial and executive appointments.

Media Contact: Mel Gagarin
(212) 965-2783, [email protected]

SOURCE NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund