Comptroller of the Treasury

Office of Local Government

State Data Center Users Group

State Data Center Users Group

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• Our office assists in the local redistricting process (Produced a guide, developed a GIS application)

• Serves as the official repository for Voting Precincts• Serves as an official liaison to the Census Bureau• We receive data from the Census Bureau and distribute it

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What is Redistricting?

• Redistricting is the drawing of boundaries for political boundaries such as state legislative, voting and county commission districts.

• Reapportionment is the allocation of the state and county legislative body, so that the members represent substantially equal populations.

• Redistricting is required of Federal, State and Local governments.

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Why is it Important?

• Essential to representative gov.

• The way district lines are drawn affects how politicians represent constituents’ interests.

• The distribution of $450 Billion plus federal/state funds

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Why do we do it?• Baker v. Carr fundamentally altered the nature of political

representation in America, requiring not just Tennessee but nearly every state to redistrict during the 1960s.

• Baker v Carr - Began in Memphis, and went to the US Supreme Court. The Plaintiff was Charles Baker and the Defendant was the Secretary of State for Tennessee Joe Carr.

• Before then Tennessee had not redistricted since 1901.

• Baker v. Carr laid the frame work for the Voting Rights Act, Equal Representation and Reapportionment , and “One Man One Vote.”

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When is it Done?

• The Tennessee State Constitution requires reapportionment at least once every TEN years. (TCA 5-1-11)

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Why does it involve us?

• TCA 4-16-101(c) The office of local government has the following functions and duties:

1. Provide geographic information systems technical support, training, and map maintenance to the division of property assessments and local governments;

2. Assist local governments with geographic information systems and mapping issues;

3. Assist and advise local governments with local redistricting and reapportionment;

4. Compile and maintain precinct boundaries and maps in the state and assist with their development;

5. Serve as the liaison with the United States census bureau and participate in its redistricting data program;

6. Assist with other geographic information systems activities in the office of the comptroller of the treasury; and

7. Such other duties as may be assigned by the comptroller of the treasury

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Who does Legislative Redistricting?

• Tennessee's congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. Generally by the controlling party.

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Who does Legislative Redistricting?

• The State Senate takes its lead from the controlling party. The current house speaker is Beth Harwell.

• Generally done on seniority.

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How is it done?

• All redistricting plans must use the latest federal decennial Census.

• The federal decennial census includes census blocks.

• A census block is the smallest geographic unit used by the United States Census Bureau for tabulation. A census block is generally bounded by physical features such as roads, railroads, creeks, etc…

• These blocks are used to perform redistricting.

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How is it done?

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How is it done?

• Research, collaboration, outreach.

• Performed using GIS and Census data.

• Custom GIS tool developed by OLG.

• Used TCA 5-1-111 to guide us.

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How is it done?

• Take the new population numbers census give us and divide it by the number of commission districts. (Gives us the ideal population)

• We then examine where the population is growing at.

• Anything over or below the ideal population is deviation. Case law over the years has set the 10% deviation standard.

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Problems that arise with the Redistricting Process

• PrisonsCounty Prison in district

Bledsoe Southeastern Tennessee State Regional Correctional Facility

DavidsonMiddle Tennessee Correctional Complex (now called the Charles Bass Correctional Complex), Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, and Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility

Hardeman Whiteville Correctional Facility- CCA and Hardeman County Correctional Center

Hickman Turney Center Industrial Prison and Farm

Johnson Northeastern Correctional Complex

Lake Northwest Correctional Complex

Lauderdale Western Tennessee State Penitentiary

Morgan Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex

Tipton Tipton County Western Tennessee Detention Facility

Wayne South Central Correctional Facility and Wayne County Boot Camp

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Gerrymandering

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But we love what we do

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So how did we do in 2010?

• Our office completed 94 of 95 counties. (Shelby)

• Our office processed 240,116 Census Blocks, 844 Districts and 2,174 Voting Precincts.

• We produced 282 work maps and 1,596 summary maps.

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Deviation Statewide Before After

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So that's every 10 years. What do you do the rest of the time?

• Support Administrator of Elections and Election commissions in precinct changes (Geocoding Voters)

• Preparation for the next Redistricting (2020)

• Liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau

• Special Projects

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Assisting Local Election Commissions

• Our office works with Administrators of Elections and Election Commission to ensure compliance with state law.

• On average our office receives a monthly update from three counties.

• Our office serves as the repository for redistricting data, therefore all changes MUST be sent to our office. (TCA-2-3-105)

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2020 Redistricting update

• 2020 is shaping up to be interesting!

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2020 Redistricting update• Evenwel v. Abbott - The Supreme Court will be

taking up a case that argues districts ought to take into account only the numbered of registered voters.

• Oral arguments are expected to occur at the end of this month.

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2020 Redistricting update• The Tennessee General assembly is looking at

removing the prison population from local redistricting.

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The 2020 Census Redistricting Data Program is partitioned into 5

phases:• Phase 1 – Block Boundary Suggestion Program (2015-17)

• Phase 2 - Voting District Project (2017-19)

• Phase 3 - Delivery of the 2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data Files and Geographic Products (2020-2021)

• Phase 4 - Collection of Post-2020 Census Redistricting Plans (2022-23)

• Phase 5 - Evaluation of the 2020 Census Redistricting Data Program and Recommendations for 2030 (2023-25)

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Phase 1-BBSP

• Chance for local officials to suggest census blocks to be used in 2020.

• This lays out the foundation for upcoming redistricting.

• The legislature will use these blocks to do legislative redistricting.

• Also improves the digital geography for Tennessee.

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Phase 2-VTD

• We submit all Voting Precincts to the Census Bureau by working with Administrators to ensure we have the latest Voting Precinct boundaries and names.

• That data gets merged into other Census products and is used in the redistricting products.

• Also improves the digital geography for Tennessee.

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Phase 3-Delivery of Census data

• April 2021 - Our office will receive the population totals and geographic products needed to complete the 2020 redistricting process.

• One key product we will receive is the census blocks we suggested during Phase 1.

• Those blocks will be used to complete redistricting and remain until 2030.

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Phase 4-Collection of plans

• After redistricting is complete our office will send the local redistricting plans to Census.

• Census then creates statistics for the plans we send through its American Community Survey program.

• This provide local officials, community leaders, and businesses with information about there area.

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Phase 5-Suggestion for 2030

• Working with local officials our office will provide feedback to Census on what worked and didn’t during the 2020 redistricting process.

• Also our chance to make recommendations for 2030.

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Liaison to Census Bureau

• As a liaison, our office provides Census with digital data.

1. City boundary updates

2. County Commission Districts

3. Voting Precincts

4. County line changes.

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Why is it Important?

• Helps provide the U.S. Census Bureau with accurate geography in Tennessee.

• Which in turn gets incorporated into the overall improvement of data.

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Conclusion

http://www.comptroller.tn.gov/lg/ActiveMapCounties.asp

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Questions/Comments

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Contact Information

Matthew Hill – Redistricting Supervisor

Matthew.Hill@cot.tn.gov

(615) 401-7828

Ned Phillips – GIS Technician Supervisor

Ned.Phillips@cot.tn.gov

(865) 594-6131