National Democratic Redistricting Committee

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) is an organization founded in 2017 by former United States Attorney General Eric Holder, with the endorsement of former President Barack Obama. The NDRC aims to address perceived issues of unfair gerrymandering in the United States, which often leads to Republican or Democratic electoral advantages in state and federal legislative districts.

Mission and Goals

The primary mission of the NDRC is to create fairer electoral maps through legal challenges to existing maps, advocacy for reforms, and strategic electoral support for candidates who favor non-partisan redistricting. The organization focuses on ensuring that electoral districts are drawn in a way that accurately represents the demographic and political makeup of the area, rather than being constructed to benefit a particular political party.

Activities

The NDRC engages in a variety of activities to achieve its goals:

• **Legal Challenges**: The NDRC supports litigation against what it considers to be unfairly drawn districts. This involves providing financial and legal support for challenges in states where gerrymandering is perceived to be most egregious.
• **Advocacy**: The organization advocates for state and federal reforms to implement independent redistricting commissions, aiming to remove partisanship from the redistricting process.
• **Electoral Support**: The NDRC identifies and supports state-level candidates who are likely to influence redistricting processes in a manner aligned with fair map drawing. This includes both electoral and financial support for these candidates.

Impact

Since its inception, the NDRC has played a role in several high-profile redistricting cases across the United States. Its efforts have contributed to changes in redistricting processes in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina, where new maps have been drawn that are intended to be more reflective of the states' actual political landscapes.

Criticism and Controversy

The NDRC has faced criticism, primarily from Republican entities, who argue that the committee's efforts are themselves politically motivated with the aim of boosting Democratic electoral chances. Critics assert that the NDRC's activities are part of a broader Democratic strategy to gain legislative majorities, particularly in key battleground states.

See Also

• Gerrymandering
• Redistricting
• Electoral reform in the United States