Which states have independent redistricting commissions as of 2024?

1. What “independent” means — and why sources disagree

Different organizations apply different definitions to “independent.” Ballotpedia separates “politician commissions” (where members can hold office) from “non‑politician commissions,” and explicitly says it does not use the shorthand “independent redistricting commission,” which complicates simple counts ^[2]. Advocacy groups and academics commonly use “independent” or “citizen” to mean commissions where non‑politicians—often with partisan balance rules—draw lines; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences lists Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana and Washington as states that created independent citizen commissions ^[1]. The Campaign Legal Center and Common Cause describe independent commissions as those intended to take map‑drawing out of legislatures’ hands, but they note design details vary by state ^{[3] [4]}.

2. Which states are repeatedly named as having independent/citizen commissions

Multiple sources converge on a core group: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana and Washington are explicitly listed by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as having “independent citizen‑redistricting commissions” ^[1]. Campaign Legal Center and Common Cause cite similar examples of citizen commissions created by ballot initiatives or statutes in recent cycles, including Michigan and Colorado ^{[3] [4]}. Ballotpedia’s March 2024 snapshot shows 11 states using commissions for congressional redistricting and 16 for state legislative plans, but its internal categories mean that some commissions it counts are “politician” commissions rather than purely citizen independent commissions ^[2].

3. The gray area: “politician commissions,” hybrids and courts

Not every commission counted by mapping projects or tallying organizations is fully insulated from politicians. Ballotpedia’s breakdown shows both “non‑politician” and “politician” commissions and a hybrid in Virginia; that means a single number of “commission states” can mix very different models ^[2]. The Brennan Center and other analysts note that in some places courts, special masters, or legislatures ultimately drew maps even where commissions exist or were intended to act—for example, courts drew or modified maps in New York and North Carolina during recent cycles ^{[5] [6]}. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences and reform groups warn that design details—appointment rules, veto power, ability of legislatures to override—determine how “independent” a commission actually is ^{[1] [7]}.

4. Numbers to hold in your head for 2024 reporting

Ballotpedia reported 11 states using commissions for congressional redistricting and 16 for state legislative redistricting as of March 2024, with 10 of the 16 described as non‑politician commissions and five as politician commissions; Virginia is described as evenly split ^[2]. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences explicitly lists seven states that created independent citizen commissions (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Washington) ^[1]. The Brennan Center observed that independent commissions drew maps in a subset of states and that courts and legislatures drew many others in the 2021–2024 cycle ^[5].

5. What to watch next — and the politics behind the counts

Redistricting authority is a live political issue: New York’s commission was ordered to reconstitute and redraw maps by state courts in the 2020s, illustrating how institutional conflicts can shift a state between “commission” and “court‑drawn” in practice ^{[8] [6]}. Reform advocates (Common Cause, Campaign Legal Center) push for citizen commissions and argue they produce fairer maps, while watchdogs and local groups caution that poorly designed commissions can deadlock or be captured—meaning outcomes depend on structure not just label ^{[4] [7]}. Ballotpedia’s categorical approach and the Brennan Center’s focus on who actually drew maps show why simple tallies can be misleading unless you specify whether you mean “commission in law,” “non‑politician commission,” or “commission actually controlling the map” ^{[2] [5]}.

Limitations: available sources do not supply a single, universally accepted checklist of “independent” commissions for 2024; counts differ by definition and by whether courts or legislatures ultimately implemented maps ^{[2] [5]}. For a definitive, state‑by‑state roster tailored to your preferred definition (legal existence, non‑politician membership, or effective control of final maps), consult the cited state tables at Ballotpedia and NCSL and the state pages from All About Redistricting ^{[2] [9] [10]}.