Help End Prison Gerrymandering Prison gerrymandering funnels political power away from urban communities to legislators who have prisons in their (often white, rural) districts. More than two decades ago, the Prison Policy Initiative put numbers on the problem and sparked the movement to end prison gerrymandering.

Can you help us continue the fight? Thank you.

—Peter Wagner, Executive DirectorDonate

Delaware has enacted legislation to end prison gerrymandering. It is one of ten states that will count incarcerated people at home for redistricting purposes in the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Delaware - Campaign Archive

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Legislation passed!
Delaware leaders
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The U.S. Census Bureau counts incarcerated people where they are confined not where they are from. Using these counts to draw state and county legislative districts enhances the weight of a vote cast by people who live near prisons at the expense of everyone else in the state or county.

Legislation passed!

  • House Bill 384 (sponsored by Representative Keeley, additional sponsors Representatives J. Johnson and D.P. Williams, and Senator Henry, and co-sponsored by Representatives Barbieri, Brady, Hudson, Mitchell and Senators Marshall and McDowell), was unanimously passed by the House on June 1, 2010 and with bipartisan support in the Senate on June 30, 2010. Governor Jack Markell signed the bill into law on August 31, 2010. The law will count incarcerated people at their home addresses for redistricting purposes in Delaware.
  • Press release from the Prison Policy Initiative and Demos upon the bill's passage in the Senate
  • Press release from the Delaware House of Representatives House Majority Caucus upon the Governor signing the bill into law.

Delaware leaders

It’s impossible to include everyone who is worked toward fair districting in Delaware, but if you are looking to get involved, these are some of the people and organizations you might want to contact:

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