In BIG redistricting news, the Census Bureau is expected to announce today that the block-level data needed for redistricting will not be released until *late September.* Ordinarily, it would start coming out next week. #fairmaps #2020Census https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/us/us-census-figures-delay.html

In practical terms, this means that redistricting now will take place in October or November & in special sessions in most states (which are often rushed affairs more prone to abuse) and that there will be less time to challenge bad maps in court before the 2022 cycle starts. 2/

And depending on the state - and/or courts - it also could mean that election deadlines and potentially primaries get moved in early states, as happened in Texas in 2012 when litigation moved the primary from March to May (with a July runoff). 3/

There also are a number of states that will have to adjust legal deadlines relating to redistricting (looking at you Illinois, in particular). But, as the pandemic has shown, adjusting for things that become impossible is something states are well equipped to do. 4/

And if states want to have a robust redistricting process, there is nothing to prevent them from doing so - there is a lot that can be done now even without the block-level data (hearings, public input, etc). 5/

The bigger risk is that states (or more accurately partisan lawmakers) use the delay as an excuse to hide the ball until the last minute and then rush maps through without enough time for groups to challenge them in court and win changes. 6/

And an example of a state saying its 2022 primary may have to move because of census data delays 7/ https://twitter.com/timelywriter/status/1360350539343687681

Here's the Census Bureau's official statement on the data delay. 8/ https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/statement-redistricting-data-timeline.html

Texas also could postpone its 2022 primary under a proposed bill if maps are not done by September 1 because of data delays - which they won’t be. 9/ https://twitter.com/alexazura/status/1360343572147548160