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News & ArtsMonday, November 16, 2009
Politics Celebrate the Gerrymandering
Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 5:46 PM
This political art-and-science, much beloved by government and election techno-geeks, is called “redistricting.” Every 10 years, the Constitution requires that our districts be redrawn so they’re of basically equal population — nine U.S. House districts and 49 legislative districts. [...]The new website describes how a voter-approved, bipartisan commission will do the actual work. Short version: The four legislative caucuses each names a citizen commissioner and the four appoint a non-voting member as chair, such as a law prof or geographer/demographer. Neither side can “jam” the other, since the maps must be approved by at least three of the four voting members. The governor gets no vote and the Legislature must accept the plan up-or-down, with very little room for moving any of the lines.
Even though this commission has good guiding principles—e.g., "Districts should be convenient, contiguous (share a common land border or transportation route), and compact"—the damage is done. This deadlocked little committee can't fix a district that's already been gerrymandered to all hell. I live in the 37th Legislative District (click image to enlarge), which is anything but "convenient, contiguous ... and compact." Granted, there are worse examples of gerrymandering.
PS — There's a re-districting board game!
3
In Utah, the 3 US House districts are drawn so that each one takes a piece of Salt Lake City and then includes a large rural area.
4
"how the poll tax was banned too, but here we are."
Alright, I'll take the victimologist's bait...what poll tax?
Alright, I'll take the victimologist's bait...what poll tax?
5
I think Texas has managed to jam virtually all of its Democrats into a single district that takes in 50% +1 of Austin and a narrow finger of land that runs all the way down to the border to take in 50% + 1 of the various Hispanic communities there.
6
washington state is one of the best apportioned states, due to our bipartisan redistricting commission. even if some districts aren't perfect, by all regards they are the most fair in the country.
@4, i think the poll tax comment was in regards to placing a stamp on a mail-in ballot, which i agree is an unnecessary burden on the voter.
the old school website: http://www.redistricting.wa.gov/
@4, i think the poll tax comment was in regards to placing a stamp on a mail-in ballot, which i agree is an unnecessary burden on the voter.
the old school website: http://www.redistricting.wa.gov/
7
#4: Stamps, the reason Joe Mallahan started voting and turnout increased in rich zip codes (they have extra money) whereas turnout decreased in poorer zip codes (no disposable cash for a book of stamps).
8
I don't know, Dominic. 37 is bounded by clear borders on three sides, and the north reaches a little further than what may be most convenient to accommodate population and/or policy interests.
9
8: Yeah, I was thinking "Where's the problem?" I thought there were gonna be all sorts of precinct tumors on it.
10
You're complaining about the 37th?!? What's the problem? It's contiguous, shares several bus routes and is even homogeneously diverse. The 11th is a much better example of gerrymandered nightmares (tried taking a bus from renton to south park?) but yes, Washington isn't a gerrymanderist's dream. Best to cite Tom DeLay and the Texas gerrymandered massacre of 2002 or whenever it was.
12
@ 10 ) Agreed, the 11th and 47th are worse--not as bad as some in Texas--but I don't live in those.
14
A 44 cent stamp? What's that, 10% of the price of a can of Nightrain?
You could also walk to any neighborhood vote drop box unless you're a totally lazy fuck.
Face it, the reason the poor don't vote is cuz they're too busy with the Playstations and shinning their rims to be bothered.
You could also walk to any neighborhood vote drop box unless you're a totally lazy fuck.
Face it, the reason the poor don't vote is cuz they're too busy with the Playstations and shinning their rims to be bothered.
16
Huge topic here if someone really wants to get into it. Fact is the two parties negotiate, in private thank you very much, to divide up the state into the maximum number of one-party districts, roughly evenly divided between the two parties. And then the rest of the state gets divided into more closely-matched "swing" districts that ultimately determine the partisan outcomes in each house of the Legislature.
A more public-spirited goal would be to attempt to maximize the number of such swing districts, but as long as the process is totally controlled by the two parties, that will never happen.
A more public-spirited goal would be to attempt to maximize the number of such swing districts, but as long as the process is totally controlled by the two parties, that will never happen.
18
Some choice Texas districts:
TX-20: File:TX20_109.gif">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TX20_1… -- West Side, along I-35 and up to the NE side, all pretty poor neighborhoods. Has elected democrats with at least 2/3rds of the vote for the past few years.
TX-10: File:TX10_109.gif">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TX10_1… -- Attempts to scoop up GOP-leaning farmers and oil fields, but has seen a consistent slide toward electing democrats in the past 8 years.
TX-22: File:TX22_109.gif">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TX22_1… -- expected to be scraped of hispanics and black people again in 2010. Primarily Republicans.
TX-20: File:TX20_109.gif">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TX20_1… -- West Side, along I-35 and up to the NE side, all pretty poor neighborhoods. Has elected democrats with at least 2/3rds of the vote for the past few years.
TX-10: File:TX10_109.gif">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TX10_1… -- Attempts to scoop up GOP-leaning farmers and oil fields, but has seen a consistent slide toward electing democrats in the past 8 years.
TX-22: File:TX22_109.gif">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TX22_1… -- expected to be scraped of hispanics and black people again in 2010. Primarily Republicans.
19
The gerrymandering of the last 20 years should be filed along with the vast array of 'little' problems at KC elections.
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