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Redistricting guidelines are open to interpretation
and are evolving with every court decision. There is a consensus,
however, that the following 'Redistricting Principles' apply to
redistricting plans in Illinois;"
Traditional Redistricting Principles (Constitution,
Article 4, Section 3(a):
(a) Legislative Districts shall be compact,
contiguous and substantially equal in population. Representative
Districts shall be compact, contiguous, and substantially equal
in population." Other generally widely held traditional redistricting
principles include:
1) Political districts must be contiguous
2) Political districts must represent equal population
3) Political districts must be compact
4) Political districts must protect "communities of interest"
5) Political districts must preserve political subdivisions and
consider the core of prior districts
Related Links:
Overview: www.votinglaw.com
Redistricting 101: www.senate.leg.state.mn.us
Countdown to Redistricting: www.bickerstaff.com/articles/redi99.htm
Redistricting in 2001: www.bickerstaff.com/articles/redi2001.htm
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