In large countries, delimitation, or redistricting, can be a major technical challenge. Manipulating the enormous amount of geography and population data required to create new districts is a very complex procedure. However, redistricting in countries with small populations and/or few districts presents fewer technological challenges.
Computers and computer software may not be worth the investment in these countries.
Although computers and geographic information systems (GIS) software can speed up the redistricting process and make the process more accurate and efficient, redistricting with computers can be very expensive. This is particularly true if the maps to be used for computer-assisted redistricting have not already been digitised.
Regardless of the technology to be employed, it is necessary to obtain accurate summaries of demographic data for current districts and to re-tabulate that data as geographic units are reassigned among the districts. Simple computer programs, or even adding machines or hand-held calculators, can be used to summarise demographic data at the district level after each new geographic assignment.
Maps must be utilised during the redistricting process to ensure that the geographic units being assigned to a district are contiguous with the district. If redistricting is to be done without GIS software, district boundaries must be drawn by hand on paper maps. Drawing the boundaries of proposed districts onto transparent acetate overlays will preserve the original paper map and can facilitate the process of manually reassigning population units among districts. Once a final redistricting plan has been decided on, maps of the new district boundaries must be produced by a separate process.
Recommended resources for low-technology redistricting include:
- a computer, adding machine or hand-held calculator
- census and/or political data on paper
- paper maps
