All states are required to periodically redraw electoral boundaries in a process known as redistricting. Because state and local populations change over time, district lines for both United States (U.S.) Congressional Districts and state legislative districts must be redrawn and voters must be reapportioned, or reallocated, to keep roughly the same number of persons in a particular district.
This paper describes the process of redistricting in Arkansas and the vital role it plays in our democracy. It compares how other states approach redistricting, lifts up some challenges to fair redistricting caused by gerrymandering, and concludes by reviewing some reforms being applied in other states to address some of those challenges.
