Analysis demonstrates that the use of corrected rather than uncorrected census data for the post-1990 redistricting had the potential to affect significantly the opportunities for minority voters to participate fully in the political process and elect candidates of their choice to legislative positions. In plans for both State Senate and State House positions, the use of corrected data would have increased the number of baseline majority-minority districts against which the next redistricting plan will be measured. In plans for these positions, the use of corrected data would also have presented the opportunity to enhance minority voter strength in districts that have significant minority representation, but fall below the majority-minority threshold. For all ten states, the use of corrected rather than uncorrected data for the post-1990 redistricting would have had the potential to affect minority voter opportunities in more than forty state legislative seats.

In addition, if corrected data had been used for the apportionment of congressional districts among states, this would have opened up an opportunity to draw an additional majority-minority congressional district in California.

Despite this potentially significant impact on minority voter opportunities, the shift to corrected data for the previous redistricting would not appear to have significant partisan effects. The potential to enhance the voting strength of minorities would have derived from adding minorities to districts that already were predominantly Democratic. Thus Democrats would not have gained a partisan advantage from this process, even though minority voters are more likely than white voters to support Democratic candidates for public office.