Redistricting and Polarization

We review how the ideological polarization of members of the House of Representatives (elite polarization) is affected by: ● sorting of parties’ incumbents into more ideologically compatible districts, ● replacement of incumbents by more ideologically extreme successors, ● the drawing of more ideologically extreme districts. ● We show there are fewer competitive congressional districts – having a near balance of Democrats and Republicans – following redistricting. ● We show more competitive districts can be drawn without sacrificing other values, such as compactness or minority representation. ● We discuss the prospects for redistricting reform