On January 17th, Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) officially approved the state’s new Congressional districts.  The vote was a major milestone in this year’s particularly tumultuous redistricting process.  The Commission split along party lines, with the two Democratic members supporting the redistricting plan and the two Republican members opposing it.  Independent Chairwoman Colleen Mathis cast her swing vote in favor of the plan, making the final vote 3-2.

Seven states held off-year general elections on Tuesday, and four of these—Mississippi, Maine, Ohio, and Washington—featured initiatives on their ballots. Initiatives are distinct from referendums in that they are put on the ballot directly by the people, whereas referendums are placed on the ballot by legislatures. Of the nine initiatives featured in Tuesday’s elections, voters adopted five.

On September 26, Republican Governor John Kasich signed into law Ohio’s new congressional redistricting plan. The plan, released on September 13, passed the Republican-controlled Assembly and Senate earlier in the week, but its ultimate approval will likely be in the hands of voters through a proposed ballot referendum in November 2012. Overall, the plan secures the Republicans’ gains in the 2010 election, with very few districts being competitive.