Monday, March 15, 2010

Calling David Boies
In my view the "problem" with gerrymandering is only two political parties and one race participate in the scheme. If you don't have a D or R after your name you don't have a guy at the drawing board to mark out a district for your ideological point of view or ethnicity.

In a democratic America we would have (at least) as many congressional districts as there are counties - 3140. And those 3140 congressional districts could be built up out of voter registration party preferences. I don't even mind having districts based on race. As long as we all get to vote for someone who represents our ideology.
I live in a gerrymandered (R) district, I’m a D and my vote is very effectively sealed off from the Democratic Party in my state because of the gerrymandering.

The solution is to make districts 100% R, D, and whatever else. Even the conservatives could have their own congressional districts. A blend of GPS technology with specific location information and detailed voter registration rolls would make specific districting possible. From my local precinct I could vote for local issues and candidates, statewide issues, and national candidates on a personalized ballot.


The way it is now my right to have my vote count doesn’t even exist. Yes, I can vote, but my vote does not count because that fundamental part of my right to vote was bartered away in a back room deal between the Rs and Ds here in Ohio.

The conduct of the elected beneficiaries of our Constitution is rotten with corruption.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Congressional Redistricting - Reform Stalled?
House and Senate Democratic numbers are equally terrible....
Anti-Incumbent Election? Don’t Hold Your Breath
By Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call Contributing Writer -- CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS Jan. 25, 2010

Ohio :
Unless reformers can persuade the legislature by Feb. 3 to approve ballot issues that would lead to sweeping changes in the redistricting process, most incumbents from political parties will find themselves in seats they can easily retain when the new districts are drawn up next year by the governor and the legislature.
This year's vote to decide who draws the map
By Jack Torry The Columbus Dispatch - January 25, 2010

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

More Congressional Districts Would Improve USA

On Aug 31, 2006 I wrote that America needed to apportion more Congressional Districts and offered my reasons.

Today, October 7, 2009 it nearly floored me to see Jonah Goldberg write about the same subject and outline the reasons America would be better off with more Congressional Districts.
read: More lawmakers? Don't laugh, we'd be better off

Links to Mississippi lawsuit info

Peter Baker New York Times Sept. 17, 2009

Parties involved Justia Federal District Court Filings and Dockets

LexisNexus

Monday, December 29, 2008

Congressional Seats on the move

States in the north, midwest, and east will probably lose Congressional Seats. States in the south and west, deemed to be a lousy climate for business will gain 13 Congressional Seats.

National Journal.com by Richard E. Cohen
New Census Estimates Show South And West Gaining At The Expense Of Northeast And Midwest; Texas In Line For Biggest Increase
Up To 13 Seats Could Be Reapportioned In 2010

Ballot Box has Moving South and West

On MarketWatch earlier this month:
Special Report
Warm regions sinking to bottom 10 on cities' list
By Russ Britt, MarketWatch
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) - They may seem like paradise to those trying to escape bitter cold, but warm-weather cities can make for a pretty lousy climate for business, at least according to a MarketWatch survey.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

DLC - Gerrymandering the Vote

DLC has a pdf document available:

GerrymanderinG
the Vote
How a “Dirty Dozen” States Suppress
as Many as 9 Million Voters

by Marc Dunkelman
June 2008

Home page for The Democratic Leadership Council

Monday, August 18, 2008

Will we ever have this reform?

Should the Federal Government Push Non-Partisan Redistricting? posted by Josh Goodman Governing.com Ballot Box
...."What's intriguing about federal redistricting reform is that it doesn't benefit one party in particular...."

Gridlock in the Forecast Redistricting reform could help, with a push from Congress and the presidential candidates.
Washington Post Editorial Aug. 18, 2008

"....partisanship and the gridlock it helps bring to government could be reduced. The key is redistricting reform..."

Americans for Redistricting Reform
"The non-partisan Americans for Redistricting Reform is a national umbrella organization comprised of groups from across the political spectrum that recognizes the critical need to reform our nation's redistricting process. With the 2010 Census and the subsequent redistricting cycle fast approaching, Americans for Redistricting Reform is committed to raising public awareness of redistricting abuses and promoting solutions that benefit voters and strengthen our democracy.

Redistricting reform is needed to ensure transparency of the process and to provide a more meaningful opportunity for effective public participation. Voters should choose elected representatives, not the other way around."

Friday, December 07, 2007

Electoral vote measure fails to make June ballot

Well it seemed to me it was going to be unconstitutional anyway, so I'm glad this is one debate we won't be having before 2008.

Los Angeles Times by By Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 7, 2007

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Redistricting Game

A news item written by Mike Musgrove, June 10, 2007 in the Washington Post talks about a game developed by a University of Southern California that makes it simple to learn about redistricting and gerrymandering. The Redistricting Game lets players bend the borders of congressional districts in a series of missions set in fictional states. Protect the incumbents, oust the opposition -- it's amazing what a few mouse-clicks can do. You read about gerrymandering in civics class, but it's much more involving to actually try your hand at it.
Washington Post

USC Anneberg play the game.

Thanks to a modem that moves at the pace of icing sliding off a sheet cake I did not play.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

When Will Ohio End Gerrymandering?

Columbus Dispatch Editorial End Gerrymandering

Ohio voters deserve something better. The time is right for change because neither political party can predict which one will have the upper hand when the 2010 census figures trigger the district-drawing process.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

The "wrong winner" disparity in Ohio

Columbus Dispatch District lines in Ohio foil Democrats by Jonathan Riskind and Jim Siegel Sunday, December 3, 2006 A clear majority of Ohioans who voted in the Nov. 7 election preferred a Democratic congressional candidate.

So did Franklin County voters, where Democratic House candidates drew in excess of 10,000 more votes than Republicans.

The result?

While Democrats won nearly 53 percent of the congressional votes statewide, only about 39 percent of Ohioans will be represented next year by Democrats in Congress.



also mentioned in the Dispatch news story Fair Vote.org Special Report: 10 Stories About Election '06

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It's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters........ it's the size of the fight in the dog that determines the winner. Mark Twain