Coalition District

Also known as a Minority Coalition District. A district where the combined racial minorities make up a majority of the population and where the voters from these different racial groups vote together to elect the minority-preferred candidate. Coalition districts are not legally required by the Voting Rights Act.

Community of Interest

A neighborhood, community, or group of people who have common policy concerns and would benefit from being maintained in a single district.

According to VA law: Districts shall be drawn to preserve communities of interest. For purposes of this subdivision, a "community of interest" means a neighborhood or any geographically defined group of people living in an area who share similar social, cultural, and economic interests. A "community of interest" does not include a community based upon political affiliation or relationship with a political party, elected official, or candidate for office.

Compactness

Compactness refers to the shape of the district. It describes boundaries that are drawn closely and neatly packed together unless there are good reasons such as VRA compliance or following oddly shaped boundaries, like city boundaries or rivers.

Contiguity

A characteristic describing a boundary’s single and uninterrupted shape (i.e. all areas in the district are physically connected to each other).

Cracking

A splitting of a racial minority community into two or more districts so that the minority community is not a significant portion of any district. For example, cracking occurs when a minority population is big enough that it can make up 50% of one district but, instead, is divided into two or more districts so that the minority community makes up a small percentage in each district.

Crossover or Opportunity District

A district where some majority voters “cross over” to vote with racial minorities to elect the minority-preferred candidate. Crossover or opportunity districts are not legally required by the Voting Rights Act.

Deviation and Deviation Range

A district’s Deviation is the difference of a district’s population from the Ideal Population. The redistricting plan’s Deviation Range is the plan’s largest deviation to the plan’s smallest deviation.

Ideal Population

The total population goal for districts in a redistricting plan. It is computed by taking the total population of the jurisdiction and dividing it by the total number of districts in the redistricting plan.

Incumbency Criteria

Making sure the current elected official’s house remains in a district.

Influence District

A district where a racial or ethnic minority group does not make up a majority of voters but does have enough members of the minority group to influence substantially an election or the decisions of an elected representative.

Gerry-mandering

Drawing of district lines to give one group an unfair advantage over another group. Gerrymandering is not the same as redistricting, but gerrymandering can occur during redistricting. Drawing majority-minority districts to comply with the Voting Rights Act is not gerrymandering.

GIS (Geographic Information System)

Computer software used to create redistricting maps.

Majority-Minority District

A district where one racial minority equals 50% or more of the citizen voting-age population. In combination with a few other factors, a majority-minority district may be required by the VRA.

Minority Vote Dilution

Drawing districts which result in minority voters having less of a chance of electing their candidate(s) of choice. This is often done by “packing” or “cracking.”

One Person, One Vote

The Equal Population rule. A phrase that describes the constitutional requirement that each district be substantially equal in total population. Typically, this means that every district in a redistricting plan should contain the same number of people, regardless of age or citizenship.

Packing

An over-concentration of a minority population into a suboptimal number of districts. For example, packing occurs when a minority population makes up 90% of the district instead of two districts where the minority population makes up 50% of each district.

Preclearance

The process of seeking U.S. Department of Justice approval for all changes related to voting. This was a provision of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which has since been gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Racially Polarized Voting (RPV)

When all the minorities always vote for their preferred candidate and all the majorities always vote for their preferred candidate. If racially polarized voting exists, it is possible to gerrymander with brutal efficiency to ensure minorities have little or no representation in a four-seat legislature. There are two gerrymandering strategies, known as cracking and packing. The same strategies apply to both racial and partisan gerrymandering.

Reapportion-ment

The redistribution of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives based on changes in a state’s population. This occurs so that a state’s representation in Congress is proportional to its population. Reapportionment is not redistricting, although some use the terms interchangeably.

Redistricting

The process used by governments to redraw political district boundaries and applies to all levels of government where district elections are held. Maps are redrawn every ten years after the Census to create districts with substantially equal populations to, at minimum, account for population shifts.

Retrogression

In the context of redistricting, Section 5 of the VRA required that the number of minority opportunity districts cannot decrease during redistricting.

Totality of Circum-stances

A consideration of all the circumstances to decide a case, rather than any one factor or rule.

Unity Map

A proposed map drawn by a coalition of multiple community groups that demonstrates their multiple communities of interest can be simultaneously respected.

Voting Age Population (VAP)

The total population ages 18 and over. Often referenced when talking about the Black VAP (BVAP) of a district.

Voting Rights Ace (VRA)

The federal legislation passed in 1965 to ensure state and local governments do not pass laws or policies that deny American citizens the equal right to vote based on race. Section 2 of the VRA protects voters from discrimination based on race, color, or membership in a language minority group in all election procedures.