Tia Fields
Louisiana Redistricting Equity Dashboard
TiaFields.com  ·  Policy Analysis & Research
SOS Active Voter File · 5/1/2026  |  SB 121 Act 2 Boundaries  |  3-Judge Panel: June 17
Enacted Map Analysis -- SB 121 signed by Gov. Landry, enrolled as Act 2 of 2026  ·  FEDERAL THREE-JUDGE PANEL REVIEW: JUNE 17, 2026
Louisiana v. Callais (Apr. 29, 2026) narrowed the Voting Rights Act Section 2 framework. Act 2 (SB 121, Morris) redraws Louisiana into six congressional districts under R.S. 18:1276, effective for the 2026 congressional election upon the Governor’s signature. 749,661 Black registered votersSOS 5/1/2026 — 81% of Louisiana's Black registered electorate per SOS data — are distributed across five districts outside District 2 under the enacted map. Note: SOS registration figures are reported by prior or unspecified district geography and have not been officially reconciled to Act 2 boundaries. District-level registration statistics are provisional. See the Data Integrity tab.
SB 121 / Act 2 of 2026 -- Enacted Congressional Map
Open-Source Spatial Analysis  ·  SOS Voter Data · 5/1/2026  +  SB 121 Act 2 Enacted Shapefile
Registration Equity Analysis -- SOS Data Under Act 2 Boundaries (Provisional)

Black Louisianans represent 31.2% of all registered votersSOS 5/1/2026 -- 925,657 people. Under the enacted Act 2 (SB 121) map with parish assignments corrected per enrolled Act 2 geography, SOS data shows 749,661 of those registered voters distributed across five districts outside District 2. District 2 contains 175,996 registered Black voters (51.4% Black registration share). These figures are based on SOS registration data that has not been officially reconciled to Act 2 geographic boundaries. They are provisional and must not be treated as certified Act 2 district totals.

Act 2 (SB 121, Morris) Enrolled Boundary Shapefile — SB_121_Enrolled.shp  ·  Louisiana SOS Active Voter File · 5/1/2026  ·  District aggregates reflect parish assignments under Act 2. SOS registration data not yet officially reported by Act 2 district geography; figures are provisional.

Representational Equity Index (REI) by District
Reading the REI

The REI shown here is computed from Census 2020 PL 94-171 Black Voting Age Population (VAP): District Black VAP % minus the statewide Black VAP baseline of 31.24%. Positive = packed (concentrated above proportional share; votes above the majority threshold are structurally wasted). Negative = cracked (dispersed below a decisive share). Zero would be proportional. Under Act 2 (2026), District 2 is the only majority Black VAP district (58.24%). VAP is the legally authoritative apportionment measure; the statewide Black registration share (31.2%, SOS) is reported separately and is provisional. The two baselines are never mixed.

Demographic & Registration Equity Analysis
SOS Active Voter File · 5/1/2026  +  Act 2 (SB 121) Boundaries  ·  All 64 Parishes
Registration-Based Equity Analysis Under Act 2 (SB 121) Boundaries (Provisional)

Black voters represent 64.1% of the Democratic party baseSOS 5/1/2026 statewide per SOS registration data. Under the enacted Act 2 (SB 121) map, SOS data as coded shows approximately 81% of Black registered voters (749,661 of 925,657) assigned to districts outside District 2 per enrolled Act 2 geography. SOS registration data has not been officially reconciled to Act 2 geographic boundaries; district-level registration figures are provisional. This analysis uses registration data only, not Census PL 94-171 VAP. These two datasets are conceptually distinct and are not compared in this dashboard.

Black Voter Registration by District

Raw count · 175,996 packed into D2 · 749,661 cracked across D1,3,4,5,6

Black % vs. 31.2% State Baseline

SOS 5/1/2026 · Terracotta line = proportional threshold

Party Registration — All 6 Districts

Democrat / Republican / No Party · Grouped by district · SOS 5/1/2026

Total Registered Voters by District

D5 carries 772k vs. D6 with 140k — severe population malapportionment

Racial Composition of Each District — Stacked

White · Black · Other registered voters · Act 2 (SB 121) boundaries (provisional SOS assignment) · Shows concentration of Black registered voters in D2
Parish-Level Voter Registration
SOS Active Voter File · 5/1/2026  +  Act 2 (SB 121) District Boundaries  ·  All 64 Parishes · Click headers to sort
Tool Note for Legal Teams

Sort by Black % to identify parishes where cracking most acutely disperses Black voting blocs. Sort by District to see which communities of interest were fragmented. Cross-reference with the Data Integrity tab for parishes where the bill's stated VAP cannot be reconciled with active voter registration — these are your 14th Amendment exhibits. Each data point sourced directly from Louisiana SOS active voter file, 5/1/2026.

Parish ↕ District ↕ Total Reg. ↕ Black Reg. ↕ Black % ↕ Dem % ↕ Rep % ↕ REI Effect ↕
Data Integrity
Census 2020 PL 94-171 × Enrolled Act 2 Geometry  ·  SOS Registration May 1, 2026  ·  Updated June 2, 2026
Correction Log — June 1, 2026

An earlier version of this tab flagged registration rates of 136–172% as anomalous. Those figures were artifacts of a reversed column read of the SB 121 Reengrossed legislative table (Page 12). The bill's column order is Total Population | VAP Total | Reg Total. When read correctly: Terrebonne 57.9% registration rate; Jefferson 68.2% — both normal. The anomaly analysis was retracted June 1, 2026. Correction identified by Elijah Appelson, ACLU-LA Data Science. This tab now presents verified data from the certified spatial join.

Certified District Population & VAP — Census 2020 PL 94-171

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 P.L. 94-171 VTD data joined to SB_121_Enrolled.shp via centroid-in-polygon spatial join (EPSG:3452). 3,536 of 3,539 VTDs matched. Ideal population per district: 776,292. Total deviation range: 0.9123% — within constitutional tolerance under Karcher v. Daggett, 462 U.S. 725 (1983).

DistrictTotal PopulationBlack PopBlack % VAP TotalBlack VAPBlack VAP % REI (vs 31.24%)Pop DeviationEffect
D2 PACKED774,808468,66760.49%597,961348,16558.24%+27.00pp−0.191%Only majority-Black district
D5777,337275,67235.46%598,076198,81833.25%+2.01pp+0.135%Marginal — no electoral control
D4778,983249,16531.99%592,430179,22430.25%−0.99pp+0.347%Cracked
D6778,843204,16026.21%597,718146,54124.58%−6.66pp+0.329%Cracked
D3771,901230,76129.90%583,760162,09327.79%−3.45pp−0.566%Cracked
D1 MOST CRACKED775,036114,07714.72%599,95880,46513.36%−17.88pp−0.162%Extreme cracking

REI = District Black VAP % minus statewide Black VAP % (31.24%, Census 2020). Positive = packed above proportional share. Negative = cracked below proportional share.

Registration vs. VAP — Vintage Comparison
Critical Distinction — These Are Different Datasets

Census 2020 VAP (all residents 18+) and SOS voter registration (enrolled voters only) measure different populations. They cannot be directly compared as percentages of each other. Both are reported here for completeness. VAP is the legally mandated apportionment baseline. Registration reflects electoral participation, not population. A 6-year gap exists between the 2020 Census and the 2026 SOS file.

District Black VAP % (Census 2020) Black Reg % (SOS May 2026 — Provisional) Statewide Black VAP %Statewide Black Reg % VAP SourceReg Source
D113.36%20.4%31.24%31.2%Census 2020
PL 94-171
(certified)
SOS May 1,
2026
(provisional)
D258.24%51.4%
D327.79%25.0%
D430.25%33.0%
D533.25%31.9%
D624.58%34.8%

Provisional = SOS May 2026 parish-level aggregates assigned whole-parish to Act 2 districts. Not officially reconciled to Act 2 precinct boundaries by the Louisiana SOS.

Population Deviation — One Person, One Vote

Congressional districts must achieve population equality as nearly as practicable. Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 (1964); Karcher v. Daggett, 462 U.S. 725 (1983). The following deviations are from the certified spatial join of Census 2020 PL 94-171 data against the enrolled Act 2 geometry.

DistrictPopulation (Census 2020)Ideal (776,292)Deviation (persons)Deviation %Constitutional?
D1775,036776,292−1,256−0.162%
D2774,808776,292−1,484−0.191%
D3771,901776,292−4,391−0.566%
D4778,983776,292+2,691+0.347%
D5777,337776,292+1,045+0.135%
D6778,843776,292+2,551+0.329%
Total Range (max − min) / ideal7,082 persons0.9123%✓ Constitutional
1P1V Conclusion

The population deviation range of 0.9123% is well within the constitutional threshold. Congressional map challenges based solely on population equality are not viable under this map. Karcher v. Daggett requires that deviations be justified by legitimate state objectives; at 0.9123%, the burden on challengers is high. The more viable legal theories are racial gerrymandering under Shaw v. Reno and equal protection under the 14th Amendment. See the Legal Framework tab.

Methodology & Reproducibility
SPATIAL JOIN METHOD Software : Python 3 / GeoPandas CRS : EPSG:3452 (Louisiana State Plane South, NAD83) Method : Centroid-in-polygon VTD file : Census_2020_TigerLine_VTD_Shapefile_Layer_as_Validated_ by_the_LA_Legislature_as_of__08-23-2021_.shp District : SB_121_Enrolled.shp VTDs total : 3,539 VTDs matched: 3,536 (unmatched: Tangipahoa P7, P15; Calcasieu P3 — 849 pop) POPULATION SOURCE Dataset : U.S. Census Bureau 2020 P.L. 94-171 Fields used : TOT_POP, TOT_BLACK, VAP_TOTAL, VAP_BLACK Vintage : April 1, 2020 REGISTRATION SOURCE Dataset : Louisiana Secretary of State Active Voter File Date : May 1, 2026 Level : Parish-level aggregates assigned to districts Status : PROVISIONAL — not reconciled to Act 2 precinct boundaries PIPELINE Repository : github.com/tiandrafields-arch/redistricting-dashboard---LA Analyst : Tia Fields, Provisional Consulting LLC
One Person, One Vote — Population Equality
Census 2020 PL 94-171 × Enrolled Act 2 Geometry  ·  Certified Spatial Join  ·  Updated June 2026
Rebuilt on Certified Census Data — June 2026

An earlier version relied on a misread of the SB 121 legislative registration table and was retracted June 1, 2026. This analysis is rebuilt on the correct basis for a one-person-one-vote claim: Census 2020 PL 94-171 population joined to enrolled Act 2 geometry via certified centroid-in-polygon spatial join. It does not depend on registration data.

Population Deviation by District
DistrictPopulation (Census 2020)Ideal (776,292)DeviationDeviation %Constitutional?
D1775,036776,292−1,256−0.162%
D2774,808776,292−1,484−0.191%
D3771,901776,292−4,391−0.566%
D4778,983776,292+2,691+0.347%
D5777,337776,292+1,045+0.135%
D6778,843776,292+2,551+0.329%
Total range (max − min) / ideal7,0820.9123%

Ideal = 4,657,757 / 6 (full Census 2020 count). Spatial join matched 3,536 of 3,539 VTDs; three unmatched VTDs (849 persons) are immaterial to the deviation range.

Honest Conclusion — 1P1V Is Not the Winning Theory Here

At a total deviation range of 0.9123%, Act 2 sits comfortably within the constitutional tolerance for congressional maps. Karcher v. Daggett, 462 U.S. 725 (1983), and Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 (1964), require population equality as nearly as practicable; a sub-1% range is not a viable standalone basis to overturn this map. The decisive federal pathways are racial gerrymandering (Shaw v. Reno) and discriminatory intent under the 14th Amendment and post-Callais doctrine. See the Legal Framework tab.

About This Dashboard
Open-Source Spatial Analysis · Representational Equity · Louisiana 2026 Redistricting
Purpose & Intended Audience

This is an open-source interactive spatial analysis tool for demographic and representational equity review under the enacted Act 2 congressional map (SB 121, Morris), signed by Governor Landry and enrolled as Act 2 enacting R.S. 18:1276. Effective for 2026 congressional elections upon signature; full statutory effectiveness at noon, January 3, 2027. Built for Democratic Caucus members, NAACP, LDF, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and legal teams engaged in post-Callais equity analysis. Every data point is sourced from official public records and is reproducible via the Python pipeline in this repository.

Data Sources

  • Louisiana SOS — Statewide Report of Registered Voters by Party and Race, 5/1/2026 (Active voters only). Parish-to-district assignments corrected per enrolled Act 2 (R.S. 18:1276) precinct geography. 20 parishes were reassigned from pre-Beaullieu-amendment geography to enrolled Act 2 geography in v2 of this dashboard (June 2026). Prior version used pre-enrollment bill geography; this version uses the legally enrolled statute.
  • Act 2 (SB 121, Morris) — Enrolled District Boundary Shapefile — Legal boundary definition for R.S. 18:1276, enacted 2026 Regular Session. Shapefile: SB_121_Enrolled.shp. The enrolled map reflects the district composition as written in House Floor Amendment HFASB121 3645 5695 (authored by Rep. Beaullieu), which deleted prior House Committee amendments (#5999) and substituted a complete precinct-level rewrite of all six districts. That amendment was adopted on the House floor May 21, 2026 and is fully incorporated into enrolled Act 2 — it is not a separate source. All boundary analysis in this dashboard uses the enrolled Act 2 shapefile only.
  • SB 121 Reengrossed (Morris) -- Parish summary tables, VAP anomalies (Page 12). Pre-enrollment text; superseded by enrolled Act 2.
  • U.S. Census 2020 P.L. 94-171 -- Block-level population and Voting Age Population (VAP). Legally and conceptually distinct from SOS registration data. VAP measures all residents aged 18 and older regardless of registration status. District 2 is the only majority Black VAP district (58.24% Black VAP per SB121_district_demographics.csv). District 6 Black VAP is 24.58% -- not majority Black. VAP and registration data are not compared in this dashboard.
  • House Committee Testimony — May 21, 2026 hearing record

Legal Framework

  • Louisiana v. Callais, No. 24-109, ___ U.S. ___ (Apr. 29, 2026) — Section 2 VRA gutted
  • Rucho v. Common Cause, 588 U.S. 684 (2019) — Partisan gerrymandering nonjusticiable
  • Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U.S. 30 (1986) — Narrowed by Callais
  • Alexander v. SC NAACP, 602 U.S. 1 (2024) — Disentanglement standard
  • 14th Amendment — One-person, one-vote (primary remaining federal challenge)
  • Louisiana Constitution — Community-of-interest and parish integrity provisions

REI Methodology

The Representational Equity Index measures deviation from proportional Black representation:

REI = District Black VAP % minus 31.24% (statewide Black VAP, Census 2020 PL 94-171) The REI displayed throughout this dashboard is VAP-based. VAP is the legally authoritative apportionment measure. The SOS registration share (31.2%) is reported separately and is provisional; the two baselines are never mixed. Positive = PACKED (over-concentrated; votes above majority threshold are structurally wasted) Negative = CRACKED (dispersed below decisive threshold) |REI| > 8pp = severe dilution (VAP-based) |REI| > 5pp = significant dilution (VAP-based)

Analyst

Tia Fields (She/They) Policy Analysis & Research TiaFields.com tiandrafields@gmail.com (225) 441-5932
"God is within her, she will not fail." — Psalm 46:5

Open source. Data from Louisiana SOS and Louisiana Legislature (public record). Analysis and visualization by Tia Fields. Attribution required for redistribution.

Data Source Hierarchy
Sources Listed in Order of Legal Authority

The following hierarchy governs how conflicting data should be resolved. Sources higher on the list carry greater legal weight.

  1. Act 2 Block Equivalency and Geometry (Enrolled SB 121) -- The official legal definition of the six congressional districts enacted under R.S. 18:1276. This is the authoritative source for district boundaries. All geographic analysis in this dashboard uses the Act 2 shapefile derived from the enrolled boundary definition.
  2. U.S. Census Bureau 2020 P.L. 94-171 Population and VAP Data -- Block-level population counts and Voting Age Population figures derived from the decennial Census. This is an official population source and is legally and conceptually distinct from voter registration data. VAP measures all residents aged 18 and older regardless of citizenship or registration status. The district demographics file confirms District 2 as the only majority Black VAP district (58.24% Black VAP). District 6 Black VAP is 24.58% -- not majority Black.
  3. VTD Assignment Outputs -- Precinct-to-district assignment tables produced during the mapping process. These link Census blocks and precincts to Act 2 districts and are used to roll up block-level population data to district geography.
  4. Louisiana Secretary of State Active Voter Registration File (5/1/2026) -- Statewide registration counts by party and race as of May 1, 2026. This file reflects voter registration at the time of data extraction. It was not reported by the SOS using Act 2 district geography. District-level registration figures in this dashboard are derived by applying the Act 2 parish assignment to whole-parish SOS data. This is an analytical approximation, not an official SOS Act 2 district report. All district-level registration statistics in this dashboard are provisional.
  5. Derived Analysis -- All computed ratios, REI deviations, PACKED/CRACKED classifications, partisan lean indicators, and narrative interpretations are analytical constructs produced by this dashboard. They are not official government determinations. The REI baseline used throughout is the statewide Black VAP share (31.24%, Census 2020 PL 94-171). The statewide Black registration share (31.2%, SOS) is reported only as provisional context and is never substituted into the REI.
VAP vs. Registration -- Critical Distinction

Census PL 94-171 VAP and SOS voter registration data measure different things. VAP counts all residents 18 and older. Registration counts only those who have completed the voter registration process. These datasets produce different racial composition percentages for the same district. This dashboard does not equate registered voters with VAP and does not claim that registration counts match PL 94-171 VAP counts. Charts and narrative labeled "SOS" reflect registration data only.