The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on April 4, 2016 that states may count all residents, whether or not they are eligible to vote, in drawing election districts.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the court.
“Nonvoters have an important stake in many policy debates — children, their parents, even their grandparents, for example, have a stake in a strong public-education system — and in receiving constituent services, such as help navigating public-benefits bureaucracies,”
“By ensuring that each representative is subject to requests and suggestions from the same number of constituents, total population apportionment promotes equitable and effective representation.”