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Scooped by Seth Dixon onto Geography Education |
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Shaped like a giant pistol sitting on its butt end, Wisconsin's new 22nd state Senate District is Exhibit A in the case against partisan redistricting.
The redistricting process is far from neutral; to be far we should remember that gerrymandering is has happened on all ends of the political spectum. Which map to you think is the best way to divide these districts? What is the fairest way to divide them?
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"An earlier GeoCurrents post on Chechnya mentioned that the Chechens were deported from their homeland in the North Caucasus to Central Asia in February 1944. However, the Chechen nation was not the only one to suffer such a fate under Stalin’s regime."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a painful page in world history, but it needs retelling. The Soviet era profoundly reshaped the cultural, political and economic geographies of the region. Tags: Russia, migration, Central Asia, historical, war, ethnicity, political, gerrymandering. 
Francisco Javier 's curator insight,
May 17, 6:41 PM
Stalin’s Ethnic Deportations—and the Gerrymandered Ethnic Map | @scoopit via @APHumanGeog http://sco.lt/... Delete the scoop?
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Shaped like a giant pistol sitting on its butt end, Wisconsin's new 22nd state Senate District is Exhibit A in the case against partisan redistricting. The redistricting process is far from neutral; to be far we should remember that gerrymandering is has happened on all ends of the political spectum. Which map to you think is the best way to divide these districts? What is the fairest way to divide them?
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TS: The creation of a new congressional district, or the loss of an old one, affects every district around it, necessitating new maps. Even states not adding or losing congressional representatives need new district maps that reflect the population shifts within their borders, so that residents are equally represented no matter where they live. This ritual carving and paring of the United States into 435 sovereign units, known as redistricting, was intended by the Framers solely to keep democracy’s electoral scales balanced. Instead, redistricting today has become the most insidious practice in American politics—a way, as the opportunistic machinations following the 2010 census make evident, for our elected leaders to entrench themselves in 435 impregnable garrisons from which they can maintain political power while avoiding demographic realities. Tags: political, gerrymandering, mapping, unit 4 political. Delete the scoop?
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This video is a good primer to show before the ReDistricting Game (http://www.scoop.it/t/geography-education/p/2214122954/the-redistricting-game ). Delete the scoop?
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The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday approved the Legislature's plans for new congressional, House and Senate districts, paving the way for the state to begin using the maps in preparation for the November elections.
What is gerrymandering? Why, when and where might it happen? What strikes you as distinct about district 5? Delete the scoop?
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The once-a-decade process of drawing Congressional districts has prompted lawsuits in more than half the states over issues like partisan gerrymandering and accusations of discrimination. Delete the scoop?
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On three different occasions, the candidate with the most votes didn't become President of the United States. We call this "The Electoral College Problem." Here a solution. Simple. Mathematical. Rational.
Seth Dixon's insight:
As a disclaimer, I'm not endorsing the removal of all current state borders, but I think that this is a great thought exercise that involves some serious spatial thinking and geography knowledge to create this map (or even to critique and discuss it). This map represents an attempt to restructure the states so that each state would have equal value in the electoral college with roughly equal populations (county borders remained firm). What about the physical and human geography would make some of these "states" better (or worse) than the current configuration of the 50 states? How would this 'redistricting' impact your local region? Tags: political, gerrymandering, mapping, unit 4 political. 
Ken Halpern's comment,
March 1, 1:20 PM
Interesting idea but I don't think either political parties will go for it unless it favors them. However, I am not in favor of increasing the number of House Reps. We spend too much money as it is funding the government. I think we should get rid of the old system and simply go by popular vote.
Gary Pascoa's comment,
March 1, 9:43 PM
I know the founding fathers would be horrified as this cuts into the whole idea of the electoral college: to place a further check on the majority when electing a president. Nonetheless, I would support a redrawing of the map that would lean toward a popular vote system.
Conor McCloskey's comment,
March 4, 8:27 PM
Interesting idea, however I can't say this is a "rational" solution to the Electoral College. It is actually completely irrational to think that the borders could be redrawn and everyone could be redistricted every four years... They can't even manage to get a census out every year... Logistical nightmare. I agree with Ken and Gary, let the people choose with the popular vote
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While this cartoon is flippant, the attached Washington Post article is not. In the culumative congressional voting, Democrats have more votes but won fewer seats than the Republicans. Many are starting to question the redistricting process after the 2010 census.
Tags: gerrymandering, political, mapping, census. Delete the scoop?
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This page is a quick primer for understanding how the decennial census leads to the incredibly political process of reapportionment of the congressional districts. It also defines the specific gerrymandering techniques of packing, cracking, hijacking and kidnapping as well as the historical origin of the term. Delete the scoop?
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This is an interactive way to teach the importance of the redistricting process. Mapmakers (and geography) are crucial to the process. This game shows students how the process can be manipulated and if you understand local demographics and voting patterns, subtle shifts in the district borders can swing elections. This is a great way to teaching gerrymandering and how political cartography can be. Delete the scoop?
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As a team works to restore the North Carolina-South Carolina border to the original 1772 lines, some worry about the consequences.
Old maps and borders where often determined by local landmarks like trees, rivers, roads, fences, etc. Trees get uprooted and over time, rivers will wend their way down slightly different paths and the informal old borders get called into question. The border between North and South Carolina, traversing through swampy forested area was imperfect and now that they are trying to rectify it, some South Carolina residents face the prospect of needing to be North Carolina residents...not a small thing when you consider the utilities, government documents, taxes and voting. Delete the scoop?
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