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Redistricting Data Program Management
Redistricting Data Program Management
The Census Redistricting Data Program
Required by law, the Redistricting Data Program provides states the opportunity to specify the small geographic areas for which they wish to receive decennial population totals for the purpose of reapportionment and redistricting.
Under the provisions of Title 13, Section 141(c) of the United States Code (U.S.C.), the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) is required to provide the ‘‘officers or public bodies having initial responsibility for the legislative apportionment or districting of each state ...’’ with the opportunity to specify geographic areas (e.g., blocks, voting districts) for which they wish to receive decennial census population counts for the purpose of reapportionment or redistricting. By April 1 of the year following the decennial census, the Secretary is required to furnish the state officials or their designees with population counts for American Indian areas, counties, cities, census blocks, and state-specified congressional, legislative, and voting districts.
These tabs provide information, by decennial, about the materials and processes for participation by the state appointed non-partisan liaisons to the program.
The 2000 Census Redistricting Data Program was partitioned into 3 phases:
Phase 1 - Block Boundary Suggestion Project (BBSP) - 1995 - 1998
States were allowed to "suggest" features on census maps that they wished the Bureau to maintain during the establishment of census block boundaries. The boundaries were used to provide population totals to the States. Most of the states that participated in this voluntary program suggested features like streams, ridge lines, and overhead power lines, that corresponded as closely as possible with the current or projected boundaries of their election precincts, wards, or polling areas (which we refer to generically as "voting districts" (VTDs)).
Phase 2 - Voting District Project (VTDP) - 1998 - 2000
The Census Bureau returned to the states--on a flow basis--census maps and electronic files showing all features (e.g., roads, rivers, ridge lines) that were used in creating census blocks for tabulating population totals for redistricting. States then had several months to outline their election precincts (i.e., VTDs) using the features shown on these maps and files and to return the maps/files to the Census Bureau for incorporation into the geographic data base that will be used to take the census.
Phase 3 - Delivering the Data - 2001
Under the provisions of Public Law 94-171, the Census Bureau is required to provide each governor, and the officers or public bodies having responsibility for legislative apportionment or districting of each state, with population totals for counties, American Indian areas, cities, towns, county subdivisions, census tracts, block groups, and blocks.. These officers are interpreted to be the majority and minority leaders of each state legislature and any existing redistricting commissions.
States that participated in Phase 2 of the Census 2000 Redistricting Data Program received data summaries for local voting districts (e.g., election precincts) that met the Bureau's technical criteria. These Census 2000 Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data included population totals by race, Hispanic origin, and voting age and were accompanied by census maps showing blocks, census tracts, counties, towns, cities (as of their January 1, 2000 corporate limits), county subdivisions, and voting districts. (NOTE: Some states may have also defined their current legislative districts and totals would be included for these areas as well.) Comparable geographic TIGER/Line® files were also provided to these designated state officials under Public Law 94-171.
Evaluating the Census 2000 Redistricting Data Program
Although not listed as an official phase of the 2000 Census Redistricting Data Program, a thorough review by the states of the successes and challenges of the Census Bureau to meet the requirements of Public Law 94-171 was conducted. This involved an evaluation of the current state of redistricting and how to meet those needs. Production of the final report detailing those findings with the view of the states expressed for the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program.
Page Last Revised - December 17, 2021
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