{"id":1048,"date":"2022-02-16T09:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T17:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/she-helped-draw-the-lines-our-democracy-relies-upon\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T21:41:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T04:41:49","slug":"she-helped-draw-the-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/she-helped-draw-the-lines\/","title":{"rendered":"She helped draw the lines our democracy relies upon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3635-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3635-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"She helped draw the lines our democracy relies upon\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Sara Sadhwani, who earned her PhD in political science at USC Dornsife, found the redistricting process rewarding. (Photo: Courtesy of Sara Sadhwani.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=social-impact\">Social Impact<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>She helped draw the lines our democracy relies upon<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Alumna Sara Sadhwani, a political science professor, values her experience serving on California\u2019s Citizens Redistricting Commission. <strong>[4\u00bd min read]<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Greg Hardesty<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">February 16, 2022<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Sara Sadhwani loves to screen\u00a0<em>All the President\u2019s Men<\/em>\u00a0in her political science classes at Pomona College, the private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, where she teaches.<\/p>\n<p>The classic 1976 movie chronicles\u00a0<em>The Washington Post<\/em>\u00a0reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward\u2019s meticulous unraveling of the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President Nixon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the key themes in the movie is the need for transparency in politics,\u201d said Sadhwani, who earned her PhD in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife-poir.usc.edu\/\">political science and international relations<\/a>\u00a0at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>And transparency remains a core tenant of California\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wedrawthelinesca.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citizens Redestricting Commission<\/a>, which recently finished redrawing electoral district lines for Congress, the state legislature, and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.boe.ca.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">State Board of Equalization<\/a>, which assesses property and certain other taxes. Everything the commission does is open to the public.<\/p>\n<p>Sadhwani was one of 14 members selected to the commission from a pool of more than 20,000 applicants \u2014 a multistep process she wasn\u2019t expecting to survive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI put my name in the ring, but I didn\u2019t anticipate actually being selected,\u201d Sadhwani said.<\/p>\n<p>She and her fellow redistricting commissioners have spent thousands of hours since they were seated in July 2020 to get the maps redrawn. Technically, they serve through 2030, when the next commissioners will be selected. Redistricting happens every 10 years, following with the census count.<\/p>\n<p>The experience has been richly rewarding, said Sadhwani, whose specialty is American politics and race and ethnic politics.<\/p>\n<p>Her research examines voting behavior, elections, voting rights, public opinion, public policy, and interest groups, with an emphasis on the representation of racial, ethnic and immigrant communities.<\/p>\n<p>At Pomona College, Sadhwani teaches general courses on politics and public policy, plus race and ethnic politics, immigration policy, and California politics.<\/p>\n<h2>Pursuing a lifelong interest<\/h2>\n<p>Sadhwani, who grew up in a small rural town in western New York, the daughter of immigrant parents, has been fascinated with the American political process ever since she was young. Her late father was a doctor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and her mother was a nurse.<\/p>\n<p>She earned her bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and worked in social justice organizations in California for several years before attending USC Dornsife.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUSC\u2019s location in the center of Los Angeles makes it a hub for studying California politics, and the opportunity to work with so many incredible faculty helped me become a better scholar,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Sadhwani\u2019s doctoral dissertation identified variations in voting behavior between Asian Americans and Latinos, which gave her skills she brought to the redistricting commission \u2014 although commissioners don\u2019t need formal training to be named to the independent body.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, for the first time in state history, the number of congressional districts dropped from 53 to 52 because the population didn\u2019t grow at a high enough rate to justify keeping the 53rd seat. News reports say the redrawn lines still favor Democrats in an already blue-leaning state.<\/p>\n<p>Sadhwani said she applied to the commission because of her general concern about fair representation and reports that the panel applicants lacked diversity. She was among the final pool of 60 candidates whose first eight slots on the panel were determined through a lottery process. Sadhwani\u2019s winning number was the second one picked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never win anything,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cI never win the \u2018grab bag\u2019 at a party. Nothing. I was pretty shocked, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Finding a balance<\/h2>\n<p>Sadhwani, who is married with three children ages 6 to 13, also is a fellow at the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/schwarzenegger.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy<\/a>. And she recently co-published\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.journals.uchicago.edu\/doi\/full\/10.1086\/714923\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a paper<\/a>, with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1032675\">Christian Grose<\/a>, professor of political science and public policy at USC Dornsife and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/priceschool.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Price School of Public Policy<\/a>, that showed how politicians are more susceptible to lobbying when it happens in social settings rather than in their offices.<\/p>\n<p>Despite receiving a per diem of just $378, Sadhwani and other members of the\u00a0Citizens Redestricting Commissionwere handed a budget of some $15 million and, right out of the gate, had to hire a staff of nearly 50.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a major undertaking for a group of people who didn\u2019t know each other and are not given guidance,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause we\u2019re an independent commission, we\u2019re not supposed to get guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That staff, their work now complete, is in the process of being disbanded.<\/p>\n<p>Given the fiercely divisive political climate, Sadhwani thought it would be quite challenging to serve on the commission, which is made up of five Democrats, five Republicans and four Independents. (She\u2019s a Democrat.)<\/p>\n<p>Refreshingly, she said, it wasn\u2019t \u2014 despite all the long hours and hard work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the best things about this commission was our ability to work together,\u201d Sadhwani said. \u201cGoing into the process, especially given the hyper polarization we see in American politics today, I didn\u2019t know what to expect. I was actually very concerned that I might have colleagues who were argumentative or unwilling to work collaboratively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd while we all certainly had our own opinions, it really didn\u2019t seem to matter\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Democrats, Republicans and Independents, we were all committed to a fair process and to upholding the law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt very close to my Republican colleagues just as much as my Democrat colleagues. It gives me so much hope for the future of American politics knowing that Democrats and Republicans don\u2019t have to be that diabolically opposed to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/why-trump-is-really-targeting-greenland\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Why Trump is really targeting Greenland<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/trumps-words-arent-stopping-many-countries-from-setting-higher-climate-goals\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Trump\u2019s words aren\u2019t stopping China, Brazil and many other countries from setting higher climate goals, but progress is\u00a0slow<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/what-happens-next-in-us-iran-relations\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >What happens next in US-Iran relations will be informed by the two countries\u2019 shared\u00a0history<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alumna Sara Sadhwani, a political science professor, values her experience serving on California\u2019s Citizens Redistricting Commission. <strong>[4\u00bd min read]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":1051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,24],"tags":[119,105],"class_list":["post-1048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-social-impact","tag-political-science-and-international-relations","tag-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>She helped draw the lines our democracy relies upon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alumna Sara Sadhwani, a political science professor, values her experience serving on California\u2019s Citizens Redistricting Commission. 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