The CLEAN Elections Act (H.R. 158) would require that congressional districts be drawn by independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions in each state, starting with the 2020 census cycle. It also ties federal funding for election administration to states adopting similar nonpartisan commissions for state legislative redistricting, requiring states to certify to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) that their redistricting plans for state legislative districts are developed by such a commission. The bill defines “nonpartisan independent” status as equal representation from the two largest political parties (by party registration in the state) and no elected public officials on the commission. The overall aim is to reduce partisan manipulation of district lines and promote fairer elections.
Key Points
- 1Congressional redistricting must be conducted by a nonpartisan independent redistricting commission in each state, beginning with the 2020 census cycle.
- 2For state legislative redistricting, states may not receive federal election administration funds unless they certify to the EAC that their redistricting for state legislative districts is done by a nonpartisan independent commission.
- 3A commission is considered nonpartisan independent if (a) the two largest political parties are equally represented on the commission, and (b) none of its members is an elected public official.
- 4The term “State” includes all 50 U.S. states.
- 5The certification to the EAC is the mechanism by which compliance is monitored and federal funds are conditioned.