RE: Gerrymandering could be on the way out

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RE: Gerrymandering could be on the way out - 7/1/2015 1:30:57 PM

joether

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MercTech

Redistricting is usually done after the census for the decade. Now, what constitutes gerrymandering.

Should districts be cookie cutter based on geographical area? What happens if one county as 5000 residents and one has 1.2 million but each gets one seat in the legislature? It sure gets confusing when one side of the street is in one district and the other side is in another... "What do you mean I have to drive 30 miles to vote in District 3 when I'm half a block from the District 4 polling location?"

Should districts be done based on race? Well you can gerrymander to dilute one race's ability to get one of their own into the legislature. Or, you can gerrymander like crazy to get guaranteed seats for one of your own.

This is an issue that has been debated and challenged ever since there were elections.
I guess, in a perfect world, we would just use a computer program to balance things out where there are near equal number of voters in each district.

I've seen many attempts to really explain gerrymandering, but this one does seem to nail it.

Things have to be done uniformly, without basis for politics. Unfortunately without a federal amendment prohibiting the practice, citizens are left defenseless as politicians engineer districts to maximize 'return on profit' (both Republicans and Democrats do this).

How it should be handled is to define things based on people just as a number. Nothing else given to the individuals such as 'race', 'political party', 'age', 'number of males', and so on which might allow insight as to how someone might vote. And that people are selected like jury duty. Come from all walks of life.

(in reply to MercTech)

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RE: Gerrymandering could be on the way out - 7/1/2015 3:17:34 PM

DesideriScuri

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MercTech
Redistricting is usually done after the census for the decade. Now, what constitutes gerrymandering.
Should districts be cookie cutter based on geographical area? What happens if one county as 5000 residents and one has 1.2 million but each gets one seat in the legislature? It sure gets confusing when one side of the street is in one district and the other side is in another... "What do you mean I have to drive 30 miles to vote in District 3 when I'm half a block from the District 4 polling location?"
Should districts be done based on race? Well you can gerrymander to dilute one race's ability to get one of their own into the legislature. Or, you can gerrymander like crazy to get guaranteed seats for one of your own.
This is an issue that has been debated and challenged ever since there were elections.
I guess, in a perfect world, we would just use a computer program to balance things out where there are near equal number of voters in each district.

I think they do use population as the metric for District size.

When Ohio lost 2 representatives after the 2010 census, the districts of Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich were combined and pared down to concentrate more Democrats, I believe. Marcy having strong ties in Toledo (one of the bluest areas of Ohio) and Kucinich holding sway in a very blue area in and around Cleveland, the idea was to concentrate more Democrat votes in that District, reducing the pressure on the GOP candidates in neighboring districts.

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(in reply to MercTech)

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Post #: 22

RE: Gerrymandering could be on the way out - 7/1/2015 3:18:57 PM

DesideriScuri

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quote:

ORIGINAL: joether

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri
Note that I didn't specify which was a greater danger to the US, but left it wide open.

An which is a greater danger in your viewpoint?

ISIS. What a stupid question to ask a guy like me.

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Post #: 23

RE: Gerrymandering could be on the way out - 7/1/2015 6:56:04 PM

MasterJaguar01

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quote:

ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri

The idea that gerrymandering is the cause might have merit, but it isn't guaranteed to have merit. As a an extreme hypothetical, if zero Republicans in large city areas, and zero Democrats voted in rural areas, equal numbers of votes could be had, but it can also lead to a different result in the seat assignments.

if zero Republicans in large city areas, and zero Democrats voted in rural areas, equal numbers of votes could be had, but it can also lead to a different result in the seat assignments. - Sure. due to gerrymandering.

There is no other possible cause than the grouping of districts to favor Republican majorities. There is NO other possible cause of a significantly greater percentage of seats won than votes received.

Sorry DS... Perhaps not empirical proof, but the graph is indeed de facto proof. (And of course the Republicans admitted it anyway)

(in reply to DesideriScuri)

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Post #: 24

RE: Gerrymandering could be on the way out - 7/2/2015 3:02:15 AM

DesideriScuri

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]ORIGINAL: MasterJaguar01

quote:

ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri
The idea that gerrymandering is the cause might have merit, but it isn't guaranteed to have merit. As a an extreme hypothetical, if zero Republicans in large city areas, and zero Democrats voted in rural areas, equal numbers of votes could be had, but it can also lead to a different result in the seat assignments.

if zero Republicans in large city areas, and zero Democrats voted in rural areas, equal numbers of votes could be had, but it can also lead to a different result in the seat assignments. - Sure. due to gerrymandering.
There is no other possible cause than the grouping of districts to favor Republican majorities. There is NO other possible cause of a significantly greater percentage of seats won than votes received.
Sorry DS... Perhaps not empirical proof, but the graph is indeed de facto proof. (And of course the Republicans admitted it anyway)

Right. No other way.

I oppose gerrymandering, regardless of Party. I wrote to John Kasich my opposition to the Congressional redistricting plan. I didn't write to my State representatives, nor my Congressional representatives because they are all Democrats, and already opposed.

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