Backstory of EIL
The Electoral Innovation Lab (EIL) is a national project to build a science of data-driven democracy reform using math, law, and practical strategies for change.
EIL was originally developed from the work of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project launched in 2014 by faculty and students at Princeton University. The Open Primaries Education Fund currently serves as the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor to EIL while our IRS application to secure our own charitable tax exempt status is pending. EIL operates under the leadership of founder Professor Sam Wang at Princeton University with primary collaborators Professor Jonathan Cervas at Carnegie Mellon University and Professor Keena Lipsitz at the City University of New York.
EIL provides research to guide leaders, reformers, and government institutions in strengthening U.S. democracy. Our approach, anchored in research and data analytics, provides near real-time answers designed to impact quick-moving decisions by institutions and the public.
The precursor to EIL, the Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP), became a key resource for advocacy groups, nonprofit organizations, legislative commissions, judicial representatives, journalists, and the public. PGP data and analytics help inform advocacy strategies to achieve fair representation through nonpartisan redistricting efforts in multiple states.
The number of gerrymandered Congressional and legislative districts dropped sharply during the current decade compared with 2012, thanks to independent commissions (Michigan, Colorado), court cases (Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maryland[1]), and public input (New York, Virginia). Throughout this process, PGP produced a major body of data and analytics which is now available for advocacy and scholarly research at gerrymander.princeton.edu/. With the 2020 redistricting cycle complete, PGP-generated data, work product, and scoring of new redistricting plans will remain as a public resource.
Expanding on this work, EIL created a 50-state publicly accessible resource of quantitative map analytics of 476 drafted and enacted district plans, as well as an extensive database of redistricting laws and policies. We also developed Guides to Redistricting Commissions for Michigan, Virginia, and Utah. These guides were used to advance the efforts of Michigan’s Secretary of State and nonpartisan redistricting commission, as well as Virginia legislators and reformers.
Another important EIL work product has been the Redistricting Report Card, which interpreted map statistics into easily understood grades. This translation promotes public comprehension and news coverage of the redistricting process. These report cards have become the de facto standard for redistricting fairness., and have been cited by legislative commissions, courts, special masters, and hundreds of media reports at the state and national level. We simultaneously developed a network of statewide and national partnerships to quickly communicate updated analysis and respond to needs in near real-time.
A particular project with lasting impact is Representable.org, an open-access web resource for citizens and reformers to report their own communities of interest. Representable is the most citizen-oriented and user-friendly of several resources developed in this redistricting cycle. This university student-initiated project included dozens of states and was referenced by special masters in Virginia and New York to draw new district maps. Representable.org will be hosted at the Center for Urban Research at the City University of New York to power citizen efforts for years to come.
Thus far, EIL’s scholarly and policy projects involved the work of several dozen undergraduate and graduate students. Many have gone on to dedicate further important work to democracy. Former staff and alumni have taken on positions at the National Conference of State Legislators, Demos, the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Fair Elections Center, Carnegie Mellon University, the Election Lab at MIT, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and Schmidt Futures.
EIL continues its professional development programming by hosting interns, fellows, and mentors across the nation to engage in priority projects.
[1]Jeff Zymeri, National Review, April 12, 2023. https://bit.ly/NationalReview_EIL_Maryland_2023