This summer the New York legislature took decisive action to create two important policy reforms: requiring that people in prison be allocated to their home communities for redistricting purposes; and requiring criminal justice agencies to provide voting rights information to people who are again eligible to vote after a felony conviction.

Rep. John Tanner (D-TN) and Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE) introduced the "Redistricting Transparency Act of 2010" this week. What is it, and why is it necessary? If passed, what would it fix?

We’ve discussed again and again, the singular dysfunction of New York’s legislature. But California, with a $20 billion deficit contributing to the worst credit rating in the country, and a recent mess in which they either confirmed or did not confirm a lieutenant governor, is fighting for the #1 spot. Can better redistricting help?

This week’s New York Times featured an editorial decrying the state’s redistricting practices, with an illuminating set of accompanying maps. It was an extremely thoughtful tandem, and we'll dig into the details of why....