Redistricting 2011: Mapping Political Power for the Decade

Redistricting battles are among the nation’s most heated and divisive, and gerrymandering—redistricting for political gain—one of the great obstacles to true democracy.  The United States is unique in regularly redrawing electoral district lines—and in having those lines drawn by the legislators themselves. As the fall 2010 elections approach, political parties and elected leaders at all levels of government are jockeying for control of next year's redistricting process to be able to determine the congressional and legislative districts in which elections are held for the next ten years.

This panel discussion explores the issues and interests at play, and a sneak preview of Gerrymandering, a documentary that sheds light on the typically opaque redistricting process and on the many who attempt to manipulate it for partisan gain.

Speakers

• Jeff Reichert, Filmmaker, Gerrymandering
• Michael Waldman, Executive Director of the Brennan Center
• Debo Adegbile, Litigation Director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• Thomas Saenz, President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• Ann Beeson, Executive Director of U.S. Programs, Open Society Foundations (moderator)
• Cristóbal Joshua Alex, Program Officer, Democracy and Power Fund, Open Society Foundations (introduction)

This event is cosponsored by the Democracy and Power Fund and the Transparency and Integrity Fund at the Open Society Foundations.

View the Gerrymandering Trailer