Race and Redistricting

Abstract

This review examines the role of race in the decennial process of redistricting. I review the scholarly literature on three related questions: What role should racial redistricting play in the representation of racial interests, how may racial redistricting be used, and what is the connection between racial redistricting and the substantive representation of racial minorities? The review briefly examines the normative question of racial representation and then focuses on the last two topics: empirical research on how racial interests are represented in legislatures and legal questions concerning the use of redistricting to produce descriptive representation. Racial redistricting enhances the representation of racial interests in legislatures, and the legal status of the districts is complex; therefore, litigation will proceed on a heavily fact-based, case-by-case basis in which political scientists will continue to play a vital role with their research on racially polarized voting and representation.