There is a lot at stake when congressional districts are redrawn every ten years, and the complexity of redistricting can make it hard for even well-informed citizens to understand the process. In this episode, we get a primer on redistricting’s past and present from the same experts that our state legislators turn to when it’s time to redraw their districts: Wendy Underhill and Ben Williams of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Wendy and Ben take us through the history of redistricting, why it became mandatory only in the 1960s, and how new information and technology shape the way we’re represented in our state and federal governments.

To find out more about redistricting in your state, check out “Redistricting Systems: A 50 State Overview” from NCSL.

Wendy Underhill is Director of NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting Program.

Ben Williams is a Policy Specialist in Elections and Redistricting at NCSL. You can follow him on twitter at @ElectionBen.

A special thanks to Tim Story for helping to arrange this conversation.

This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher