Abstract
This chapter discusses the theoretical argument that congressional redistricting, whether by a single party or by other means, is a fundamentally constrained activity, along with the implications of these constraints for both partisan bias and electoral responsiveness. Four categories of constraints on the redistricting process are discussed: political constraints, legal constraints, structural constraints, and geographic constraints. The chapter considers a necessary condition for the implementation of partisan gerrymandering: one political party should control each of the political branches of state government (both legislative chambers and the governorship) at the time of reapportionment following the decennial census. It also examines the argument that the redrawing of electoral boundaries is also constrained by the fundamental tension between the competing interests of partisan advantage and incumbent protection; the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and population migration on the redistricting process; and how partisan bias arises under a limited set of circumstances.
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