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Federal Laws
Equal Population (based on total population of residents as determined by the most recent Federal decennial Census and adjusted by the State to reassign incarcerated persons to the last known place of residence)
Federal Voting Rights Act
No Racial Gerrymandering -
California Criteria for Cities (to the extent practicable and in the following order of priority)
Geographically contiguous (areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous. Areas that are separated by water and not connected by a bridge, tunnel, or ferry service are not contiguous.
Undivided neighborhoods and “communities of interest” (Socio-economic geographic areas that should be kept together for purposes of its effective and fair representation)
Easily identifiable boundaries
Compact (Do not bypass one group of people to get to a more distant group of people)
Prohibited:
“Shall not favor or discriminate against a political party.” -
Other Traditional Redistricting Principles
Minimize voters shifted to different election years
Respect voters’ choices / continuity in office
Future population growth
Preserving the core of existing districts
