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Redistribution (in many Commonwealth countries), called redistricting in the United States, is the process of changing of political borders. This is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral district (constituency) boundaries, usually in response to periodic census results that cause malportionment of representation.[1] This takes place by law or constitution at least every decade in most representative democracy systems using first-past-the-post or similar electoral systems to prevent geographic malapportionment.
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In Australia, redistributions are carried out by independent and non-partisan commissioners in the Commonwealth and each state or territory. The various electoral acts require the population of each seat to be equal with certain strictly limited variations.
Elections to Dáil Éireann and to councils and local authorities are by single transferable vote (STV), using geographic constituencies which return three or more representatives, the number being proportional to population. Boundary revisions may involve changing the number of constituencies, reapportioning the number of representatives returned from them, or adjusting their borders. For example, the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005 replaced the five-seat Meath constituency with two three-seat constituencies, Meath East and Meath West, both of which also acquired territory previously in other constituencies.[2]
Redistribution is done by the Oireachtas acting on the advice of the Constituency Commission, an independent body established by the 1997 Electoral Act. Redistribution prior to 1977 was done without independent input and subject to the partisan concerns of the government of the day.[3]
In South Africa, redistricting is carried out by the Municipal Demarcation Board.
In the United Kingdom, four Boundary Commissions (one each for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) are responsible for reviewing the boundaries of Parliamentary constituencies, within guidelines set by Parliament.
In the United States, each state has its own standards for creating Congressional and legislative districts.