Louisiana’s Congressional District 2, which includes parts of Baton Rouge, is regularly ranked by voting rights groups as among the most gerrymandered in the country—meaning its lines are drawn disproportionately to hinder the voting power of a particular demographic or party.
That might change early next year when the state legislature convenes to redraw much of the state’s districts based on 2020 Census data. Population shifts around the state left many districts over- or underpopulated, creating disproportionate representation.
Now, groups like the ACLU of Louisiana have launched statewide campaigns and town hall meetings encouraging residents to speak up about how those new lines should be drawn.
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Just looking at the awkward shape of District 2 through Baton Rouge and New Orleans, it’s no wonder its design has attracted attention from The Washington Post to the NAACP.
District 2 starts in the majority Black north Baton Rouge area, then narrows to no wider than the Mississippi River on its way south before expanding to include White Castle, Donaldsonville and much of New Orleans, except for the majority white enclaves of Metairie and Lakeview. Its boundaries become so thin at points that you could drive east on Government Street from downtown—which is in District 6—enter District 2 for roughly eight blocks, then be back in District 6 at Park Boulevard.
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The Republican-controlled state legislature will convene in February for a special session to flesh out the new maps, which will then face the possible veto pen of Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.
“(It’s) going to be a tough, bloody mess,” Republican Party of Louisiana’s chairman Louis Gurvich warned his party leadership, according to an October Associated Press article.
The ACLU’s “redistricting roadshow” stopped in Baton Rouge in November, but will return to the State Capitol Jan. 20 after visits to Lake Charles this month and the New Orleans region in early January.