Congressman Alan Lowenthal has introduced his first bill since taking office, one that seeks to alter the way in which congressional districts are redrawn nationwide.

Every ten years, an adjustment of electoral boundaries must occur to reflect population and demographic changes. Lowenthal’s bill, H.R. 2978, called “Let the People Draw the Lines Act,” proposes to permit independent citizen panels to re-draw congressional districts rather than having the process dictated by polticians, as it is in 34 states. 

In most of those states, the state legislature creates, oversees or influences redistricting plans, with many needing approval from the governor; an entire top-down approach. Only six states–Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Jersey and Washington–have strict guidelines that leave redistricting to independent or bipartisan commissions.

“The [bill] does exactly what the title says,” Lowenthal said in a press release. “It lets the people, not the politicians, draw the district lines for the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill provides clear and uniform redistricting criteria that give all communities a fair and equal voice in the political process.”

Many feel that that the basic concept of a democratic republic–that voters choose their representatives–is ultimately turned around in the redistricting process, where representatives can ultimately choose their voters through gerrymandering. 


California’s former 46th District (left). The current 47th was drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Take, for example, California’s former 46th District, which awkwardly stretched from the tip of ritzy Palos Verdes Estates, shrunk down to avoid the more liberal San Pedro, stretched along the Port of Long Beach, down Ocean south of 1st Street, crawling north once again east of Redondo, and capturing Seal Beach, Huntington, and parts of Newport Beach. In other words, a predominantly Republican district.

Or take the infamous and incredibly odd shape of the 4th District in Illinois, whose two parts are held together by a sliver of the median of Highway 294. Or the 22nd District of Florida, which is 90 miles long and yet, never reaches a width more than 3 miles.

Lowenthal’s bill would help states set up independent redistricting panels, similar to the ones in place in California, in preparation for the next round of redistricting that will occur after the next census in 2020.

Congressman Alan Lowenthal represents the 47th District of California which includes the cities of Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Avalon, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Cypress, Westminster, Garden Grove, Buena Park, and Stanton.

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Let the People Draw the Lines Act of 2013 by Long Beach Post