We have examined the potential for Latino-majority election districts in about 120 local jurisdictions and developed draft voting plans in 80 of them.
These are hypothetical plans developed for Latino communities in nonmetro or exurban areas which have experienced dramatic demographic change in the past decade
The voting plans are restricted to areas with populations greater than 2,000 that are at least 20% Latino according to the 2000 census -- and exclude places in Florida, California, and the Southwest.
Most plans are for municipalities or school districts. In many instances, we have incomplete information on annexations, incumbents, and election history. All plans comply with one-person, one-vote requirements.
The illustrative election plans are displayed on Google Maps. To access the plans, select a state from the list below.
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Washington
Click on a link from the directory and the Google Map will open with a collapsible sidebar showing population stats for one or more potential majority-Latino districts. You can also click the balloon markers on the Google Map to see district population stats. Click the KML link above the map to view with Google Earth.
The plans are based on census-block level data from the 2000 census. The Census Bureau will release updated census block population counts in 2011 upon completion of the 2010 census.
Information on citizenship status is not available at the census block level. Estimated voting age Latino citizenship percentages by district are available upon request.
You can review neighborhood level (block group) citizenship status (and other 2000 census variables) on FairData's SocioEcon Mapper.
If you need a specific plan -- even for areas outside the initial target states -- just contact us and we'll move it to the top of the list.
District-based election plans are not the only way to enhance Latino participation and representation. See the Center for Voting and Democracy for information on alternative election systems.
Between 2001 and 2006, over 175 election plans (multiple drafts) in 20 states were developed by the FairPlan project -- primarily at the request of African-American and Native American groups involved in local level redistricting. We testified in federal court or were deposed in about 15 redistricting lawsuits during this time period and provided technical assistance in a dozen others.
Technical Note: Boundaries are not precise due to minor discrepancies between Google streets and Census Bureau block geography. Accurate geographic files are available offline.
The plans were prepared with Maptitude for Redistricting and converted to Google Earth using Marcelo Luna's excellent Area2GE add-in for Maptitude.
