An idea from Maryland for fairer redistricting:

From Maryland, an attempt to adjust how the Census counts prisoners to result in eventual redistricting and revenue distribution that reflects where they come from, rather than where they are being incarcerated. From Democracy NC's Link-of-the-Day:

Maryland became the first state to adopt a new method for counting prisoners for purposes of drawing equal political districts after the 2010 Census. The Census counts people in prison as residing at the prison, but that method deprives the prisoners’ home neighborhoods of much-needed tax money and political clout.

Under the new Maryland law, the Census figures are adjusted by counting prisoners at their last known address, and the new counts are used to draw local, legislative and Congressional districts that meet the “one person, one vote” standard. See our entry for February 11, 2010, and a brief article in American Prospect for more background. Several other states have legislation pending to accomplish similar adjustments. Meanwhile, Virginia’s Republican Governor Robert McDonnell is proposing new rules (not yet pre-cleared with the U.S. Justice Department) that will make it harder for citizens convicted of a nonviolent felony to regain their voting rights; the announcement follows his earlier proclamation celebrating the Civil War and alienating civil rights advocates.