About Main Street Redistricting

My name is Dave Heller and I am the President of Main Street Redistricting, a full-service firm handling decennial redistricting, conversion to districts under Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, and racially polarized voting analysis. 

Over the past 26 years, starting with the redrawing of the congressional map in Georgia in 1995 when I was hired by the late Congressman John Lewis following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Johnson I, I have worked with several different Members of Congress on redistricting issues. I analyzed the demographic and geographic data in their districts and immediate surrounds, together with voter history, then made suggestions as to how their interests could be advanced with even relatively minor changes in the maps. I work closely with staff to devise maps that best serve my clients’ needs. 

I am proficient in Maptitude for Redistricting, the software program used by the vast majority of state and county legislatures, political parties and public interest groups involved with redistricting. I am also familiar with Esri Redistricting, which is based on Esri’s ArcGIS software and dataset components. Whichever software your city or county prefers, I can deliver a clean redistricting plan that equalizes population, protects communities of interest, keeps towns and municipalities together, has compact and contiguous districts, and respects racial- and language-minority groups and interests.

‍Indeed, my own background is rooted in data. I worked for three years as a senior analyst at Cooper & Secrest Associates, then one of the largest polling firms in the Democratic Party, where I poured over reams of demographic, geographic, attitudinal and ideological data, seeking to create a strategic path forward for our political clients.