Tennessee's Redistricting
Information
Tennessee's Redistricting News
Tennessee's Redistricting News (March 24, 2001-January 8, 2002)
All information below is from early
2001
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Tennessee�s Political Lineup
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Redistricting Deadline None.
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Who�s in Charge of Redistricting?
The legislature. Generally, the majority and minority leaders in
both houses prepare congressional and state legislative district
plans. The governor has veto power over both plans. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Districting Principles
+ = required - = prohibited |
Public Access Tennessee does not hold statewide public hearings, although individual representatives are free to get input from their constituencies. The public can attend open committee meetings, but there is no special effort to make the redistricting process more accessible to the public. There are no plans to use the Internet. Paper maps of introduced bills may be made available in the legislative library. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Political Landscape
The congressional plan was the result of only modest changes in 1991.
Democrats controlled the process, but were unable to protect
their partisan advantage in the 1994 elections, when they lost
two seats that lean slightly Republican. With split partisan
control in 2001, major changes are unlikely. Only one Democratic
seat (Harold Ford�s CD 9) is completely safe if an incumbent
were to step down. |
Legal Issues Tennessee�s 1992 house legislative redistricting plan was struck down in U.S. district court on equal population grounds. Tennessee tried to justify its 14% overall population variance with its need to abide by the state constitution and avoid splitting counties. The court refused to accept this argument in light of the plaintiffs� alternative plan, which achieved a variance of less than 10% and split fewer county lines. A new plan, enacted by the General Assembly in 1994, was subjected to three challenges: a partisan gerrymandering claim, a state constitutional claim regarding the splitting of counties and a minority vote dilution charge. The court dismissed the partisan gerrymandering and the state constitution claims but considered the vote dilution claim. The plaintiffs lost after a trial. |
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Irregularly Shaped
District |
Irregularly Shaped
District |
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� Southeast�Chattanooga; Oak Ridge � Includes a few isolated, rural areas � Republican in the 1960s and early �70s; then a 10-term hold for Democrats; Republican since 1994 � 87% white; 12% black; 1% Asian; 1% Hispanic |
� Northeast and south central � Includes 22 counties; rural � Local needs can take precedence over national issues � 1992 redistricting removed some Democratic voters, contributing to the 4th electing its first Republican since Reconstruction � 96% white; 4% black |
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Contact Information Ellen Tewes Deputy Legislative Attorney Office of Legal Services G-16 War Memorial Building Nashville,
TN 37219 615/741-3056
615/741-1146
Fax |
National Committee for an Effective Congress' Redistricting
Resource: Tennessee
-Overview
-Detailed
analysis and map of new congressional districts
EMILY's List Congressional Redistricting
Report: Tennessee
-Overview
-Tennessee
Redistricting Chronicle
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