Unbiased Maps News Today

From studying a gene that is mutated in many human cancers to learning more about an age-old volcano on the Moon, SMU professors and students kept making international headlines in 2023. Here are some of the highlights.

Michigan lawmakers are set to consider a new Voting Rights Act for the state by next week. Introduced in June, Senate Bills 401, 402, 403 and 404 aim to counter voter suppression, safeguard voting rights and ensure future access to the ballot. Paula Bowman, co-president of the Michigan chapter of the League of Women Voters, noted the diminishing influence of the national Voting Rights Act and anticipated strengths in Michigans voting protections. ...

Idaho received a poor grade in a recent report analyzing redistricting in the state, but it has made the process fairer than many other states. The nonpartisan elections watchdog Common Cause gives Idaho a grade of D for its process of redrawing voting district lines, which happens when states receive census data and use it to map the borders of legislative districts. Elinor Chehey, vice president of the League of Women Voters of Idaho, noted one positive feature of redistricting in the state ...

A Texas math professor who studies redistricting is not surprised a nonpartisan elections watchdog group has given the states redistricting process a grade of D-minus. Andrea Barreiro, associate professor of mathematics at Southern Methodist University, said findings by Common Cause parallel her own that show lawmakers clear bias toward Republicans. For the project, Mathematics for Unbiased Maps, SMU researchers created 1.5 million possible redistricting maps. ...

The early voting period for the November municipal elections in North Carolina will begin on Thursday and run until Nov. 4. The League of Women Voters of North Carolina is highlighting the importance of participating in municipal elections and providing key information for voters. ...

Austin American-Statesman Commentary Roundup: August 7, 2022

Math for Unbiased Maps created 1.5 million random redistricting maps and none were as biased as the one lawmakers approved.