Guide to the Rhode Island General Assembly Reapportionment and Redistricting records , 1883-2002

(bulk 1970-2002)


Rhode Island State Archives
Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401-222-2353
Fax: 401-222-3199
email: statearchives@sos.ri.gov

Published in 2010

Collection Overview

Title: Rhode Island General Assembly Reapportionment and Redistricting records
Date range: 1883-2002, (bulk 1970-2002)
Creator: Rhode Island. General Assembly
Extent: 17.7 cubic feet other and 123 maps
Abstract: The Rhode Island General Assembly Reapportionment and Redistricting records consist of the records of the General Assembly’s Reapportionment Commission (2001) including official maps, transcripts, videocassettes of Commission proceedings and the records of Elmer E. Cornwall (House Parliamentarian (1977-2002) and was the House of Representatives' chief expert on Constitutional Conventions; Reapportionment and Municipal Home Rule Charters.
Language of materials: English
Repository: Rhode Island State Archives
Collection number: 2002-54

Scope & content

Legislative Re-Districting/Reapportionment Maps, 2002 (Accession 2002-54) contains official maps of the General Assembly’s Reapportionment Commission 78 maps (39 House and 39 Senate) and 2 map keys on foam core. (Maps created by Election Data Services, Washington, D.C. and dated 2/20/2002) These maps are arranged by municipality A-Z (house maps and senate maps). These maps do not reflect the court case in 2004. Maps were not updated to reflect the changes as a result of this case and the changes that occurred in 2005. Below are the public laws that reflect the changes in 2004 and 2005. 14.4 cubic feet

2005 Chapter 367 http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/PublicLaws/law05/law05367.htm

2004 Chapter 24 http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/PublicLaws/law04/law04024.htm

Reapportionment Committee records, 2001-2002 (Accession 2006-05) contains transcripts and VHS tapes of the General Assembly’s Reapportionment Commission 2001-2002. Besides the transcripts and the tapes, Box 2 has 1 map (folded) of Senate Plan Alternative E as amended 12/11/2001 (map is dated 12/12/2001). 2.4 cubic feet

Re-Districting Maps, 2002 (Accession 2008-43) contains PDF files that were downloaded from the Election Data Services website by the State Library. These maps are dated 2/12/2002 and are not the official maps of the 2002 Reapportionment Commission but can be considered drafts (for informational purposes only). They are arranged numerically by district number (house and senate). 111 files (21 mb)

Elmer E. Cornwell Jr. records, 1990-2001 (Accession 2010-16) contains the files of Elmer E. Cornwell Jr. who was a Professor of Political Science at Brown University, Little Compton Town Moderator, 1985 - 2004, member of the 1962 Commission On Reapportionment Of The House of Representatives, House Parliamentarian, 1977 - 2002 and Special Assistant to the Speaker of the House, 2003 - 2004. He was the House of Representatives' chief expert on Constitutional Conventions; Reapportionment and Municipal Home Rule Charters. These records contain information related to the 2000 United States Census and the state-level reapportionment and redistricting activities. 0.9 cubic feet

Maps, 1883-1988 (Bulk: 1970-1990) contains 123 maps including district maps and city and town maps. The maps were created by a variety of state and municipal entities. The maps include House and Senate district maps as well as maps of individual cities and towns showing representative districts and boundaries.

Access Points

Subject Names Subject Organizations Subject Topics Subject Topics Document Types

Arrangement

The Rhode Island General Assembly Reapportionment and Redistricting records are arranged into the following series:

  • Series 1. Legislative Re-Districting/Reapportionment Maps, 2002
  • Series 2. Reapportionment Committee records, 2001-2002
  • Series 3. Re-Districting Maps, 2002
  • Series 4. Elmer Cornwell records, 1990-2001
  • Series 5. Maps, 1883-1988 (Bulk: 1970-1990)

Historical note

Following each decennial Census of the United States, Rhode Island, like most states, must redraw existing congressional and state legislative districts based on the principal of one-person, one-vote. While the ultimate responsibility for the redrawing process lies with the Rhode Island Legislature, this decade, like in 1990, the Legislature has established a Special Commission on Reapportionment. The Commission recommended plans for congressional, senatorial and representative districts for enactment by the 2002 Rhode Island General Assembly.

Articles VII and VIII of the Constitution of Rhode Island require representative and senatorial districts to be “as nearly equal in population…as possible.” Article 1 of the United States Constitution requires that the House of Representatives be apportioned among the states “according to their respective numbers.” Periodic redistricting is necessary to equalize district populations that change over time due to population shifts. The decennial census provides the demographic data needed to equalize district populations.

In 2002 another redistricting requirement was implemented. This requirement, a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1994, reduces the number of representative and senatorial districts. The amendment provided for the House of Representatives to be reduced from 100 to 75 members, and the Senate to be reduced from 50 to 38 members, commencing in 2003. Representative and senatorial districts drawn after the 2000 census will be for the 2002 elections for members of the General Assembly to be seated in 2003.

The Special Commission on Reapportionment had sixteen members. The commission included three representatives and three public members appointed by the Speaker of the House, two representatives appointed by the House Minority Leader, three senators and three public members appointed by the Senate Majority Leader, and two senators appointed by the Senate Minority Leader.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: No special restrictions unless otherwise specified.
Use of the materials: Copyright is in the public domain unless otherwise specified. We reserve the right to restrict reproduction of materials due to preservation concerns.
Preferred citation: Rhode Island General Assembly Reapportionment and Redistricting records, 2002-54, Rhode Island State Archives.
Contact information: Rhode Island State Archives
Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401-222-2353
Fax: 401-222-3199
email: statearchives@sos.ri.gov

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: Transferred from Rhode Island Reapportionment Commission on November 14, 2002.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Kate Telford.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Kate Telford 2010 June 28
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

Series 1. Legislative Re-Districting/Reapportionment Maps
Legislative Re-Districting/Reapportionment Maps, 2002 (Accession 2002-54) contains official maps of the General Assembly’s Reapportionment Commission 78 maps (39 House and 39 Senate) and 2 map keys on foam core. (Maps created by Election Data Services, Washington, D.C. and dated 2/20/2002) These maps are arranged by municipality A-Z (house maps and senate maps). These maps do not reflect the court case in 2004. Maps were not updated to reflect the changes as a result of this case and the changes that occurred in 2005.

Series 2. Reapportionment Committee records
Reapportionment Committee records, 2001-2002 (Accession 2006-05) contains transcripts and VHS tapes of the General Assembly’s Reapportionment Commission 2001-2002. Besides the transcripts and the tapes, Box 2 has 1 map (folded) of Senate Plan Alternative E as amended 12/11/2001 (map is dated 12/12/2001).

Meeting transcripts
Box 1, Folder 1-2

Videotapes
Box 2
Reapportionment meetings

Container Description Date
Box 28-29 Correspondence
 2001-2002
Box 2, Folder 30 Meeting File
 February 1, 2002
Box 2, Folder 31-32 Sign-in sheets
 2001-2002
Box 2, Folder 33 Municipal Resolution (North Kingstown)
Box 2, Folder 34-35 Law Revision - Redistricting 2001: Rhode Island and the Nation
House Judiciary Committee
Contents Note: 2 tapes

 January 31, 2002
House Judiciary Committee
Contents Note: 2 copies

 February 1, 2002
House Judiciary Committee
 February 13, 2002
House Session
 February 6, 2002
House Session
 February 12, 2002
Senate Floor
 February 7, 2002

Series 3. Re--Districting Maps
Re-Districting Maps, 2002 (Accession 2008-43) contains PDF files that were downloaded from the Election Data Services website by the State Library. These maps are dated 2/12/2002 and are not the official maps of the 2002 Reapportionment Commission but can be considered drafts (for informational purposes only). They are arranged numerically by district number (house and senate).

Series 4. Elmer E. Cornwall Jr. records
Elmer E. Cornwell Jr. records, 1990-2001 (Accession 2010-16) contains the files of Elmer E. Cornwell Jr. who was a Professor of Political Science at Brown University, Little Compton Town Moderator, 1985 - 2004, member of the 1962 Commission On Reapportionment Of The House of Representatives, House Parliamentarian, 1977-2002 and Special Assistant to the Speaker of the House, 2003 - 2004. He was the House of Representatives' chief expert on Constitutional Conventions; Reapportionment and Municipal Home Rule Charters. These records contain information related to the 2000 United States Census and the state-level reapportionment and redistricting activities.

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 1 Redistricting Commission Meeting Minutes
 1991
Box 1, Folder 2 Copies of various legislation related to redistricting
 undated
Box 1, Folder 3 Correspondence
 1995-2000
Box 1, Folder 4 Rhode Island maps
 1992, 1997
Box 1, Folder 5 Parliamentary Procedure
 undated
Box 1, Folder 6 Providence Journal-Bulletin Special Charter Section
 October 22, 1980
Box 1, Folder 7 House Oversight Committee
 2004
Box 1, Folder 8 Invocation
 undated
Box 1, Folder 9 Parliamentarian General Memoranda
 1994-2001
Box 1, Folder 10 Constitutional Convention documents
 1984
Box 1, Folder 11 Constitutional Convention VHS tape and four cassette tapes
 1986
Box 1, Folder 12 Copy of An Act Related to Redistricting of the General Assembly (H 7056)
 2002
Box 1, Folder 13 Redistricting Consultant
 1999
Box 1, Folder 14 Caliper Corporation Redistricting Corporation
 2000
Box 1, Folder 15 Census 2000 Redistricting Preparations
 2000
Box 1, Folder 16 AutoBound Redistricting, proposal
 2000
Box 1, Folder 17 Decision Analyst, Inc. Redistricting Support Service Proposal
 August 2000
Box 1, Folder 18 Election Data Services Redistricting System and Support Services Proposal
 August 2000
Box 1, Folder 19 Public Hearings
 1991-1992
Box 1, Folder 20 Request for Proposals (RFP)
 2000
Box 1, Folder 21 Census Bureau meeting
 1998
Box 1, Folder 22 United States Department of Commerce Census 2000 materials
 2000
Box 1, Folder 23 Progress Reports- Phase II- EDC
 1999
Box 1, Folder 24 Minority Reps.
 1999
Box 1, Folder 25 Redistricting Request for Proposals (RFP)
 2001
Box 1, Folder 26 Phase II Request for Proposals (RFP)
 1999
Box 1, Folder 27 Court Decisions
 undated
Box 1, Folder 28 Election Data Services
 1996
Box 1, Folder 29 Correspondence with Director of the Bureau of the Census Martha Farnsworth Riche
 1995
Box 1, Folder 30 Correspondence with Marshall L. Turner, Jr., Chief of the Census 2000 Redistricting Data Office
 1998-1999
Box 1, Folder 31 Contract with Election Data Services (Phase II)
 1999
Box 1, Folder 32 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Final Phase (Redistricting)
 1999-2000
Box 1, Folder 33 Request for Proposals (RFP) and Contract
 2001
Box 1, Folder 34 Redistricting
 1999
Box 2, Folder 1 National Conference of State Legislatures
 1996
Box 2, Folder 2 EDS District Data
 1991-1992
Box 2, Folder 3 Redistricting
 2001
Box 2, Folder 4 Commission meetings
 undated
Box 2, Folder 5 Redistricting calendar
 2001
Box 2, Folder 6 Minority groups
 2001
Box 2, Folder 7 Current Districts
 2001
Box 2, Folder 8 Massachusetts Redistricting materials
 2001
Box 2, Folder 9 Redistricting Systems and Services proposals
 2000
Box 2, Folder 10 NCLS Program documents
 1998
Box 2, Folder 11 Census Bureau Information re: Phase I, II and III
 1998
Box 2, Folder 12 Redistricting Law 2000 document (Draft)
 1998
Box 2, Folder 13 Redistricting Case Summaries from the 1990s
 1998
Box 2, Folder 14 Texas Legislative Redistricting System- Prototype
 1998
Box 2, Folder 15 Election Data Services Vendor Information letter to Mr. Cornwell
 December 11, 1998
Box 2, Folder 16 Mapitude Vendor Information
 undated
Box 2, Folder 17 U.S. Census Bureau Technical Information
 1998
Box 2, Folder 18 Website address for Redistricting Task Force
 undated
Box 2, Folder 19 Redistricting Task Force agenda
 December 9-11, 1998
Box 2, Folder 20 PSA Vendor information
 undated
Box 2, Folder 21 Census Monitoring Board information
 1998

Series 5. Maps
This series contains 123 individual maps including district maps, individual city and town maps showing representative districts and boundaries.