2020 Redistricting

[playwrite]

For those with Right leaning views, ignore this thread - it's really really boring and  2020 is too far away to be of any care.

For everyone else, not too soon to be thinking about this.

A fantastic place to start is with the recent analysis done by Stephen Wolf -

 http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/8/2...le-in-2020

A good look at state elections coming up that Dems need to pour money into over the next couple election cycles to build a foundation for 2020.

My favorite map/analysis is those states where the ballot initiative could be used to set up independent commissions like what was done in California and Arizona -



The synergy of getting a more true representation of districts in the swing states of OH and FL could provide enough Party infrastructure in both these states to put them solidly behind the Blue Wall for both Presidential and Senate seat elections.  For the other states, even if they remain in the Red, there would likely still be district pickups for the Dems with a non-partisan commission determinations.

Getting Clinton in the WH in 2016 to change the SCOTUS is huge in the effort, but there is much more that can be done to undo the 2010 gerrymandering that is keeping the GOP holding on as a national political force.

Comments welcome from those on the Left (those on the Right can go about their business of offering support/apologies for The Donald.

[pbrower2a]

Michigan -- have districts that connect medium-sized cities (Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Lansing, East Lansing) instead of diluting them with rural areas as the Michigan Snake Legislature did in 2011.

[Eric the Green]

(08-02-2016, 02:07 PM)playwrite Wrote: For those with Right leaning views, ignore this thread - it's really really boring and  2020 is too far away to be of any care.

For everyone else, not too soon to be thinking about this.

A fantastic place to start is with the recent analysis done by Stephen Wolf -

 http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/8/2...le-in-2020

A good look at state elections coming up that Dems need to pour money into over the next couple election cycles to build a foundation for 2020.

My favorite map/analysis is those states where the ballot initiative could be used to set up independent commissions like what was done in California and Arizona -



The synergy of getting a more true representation of districts in the swing states of OH and FL could provide enough Party infrastructure in both these states to put them solidly behind the Blue Wall for both Presidential and Senate seat elections.  For the other states, even if they remain in the Red, there would likely still be district pickups for the Dems with a non-partisan commission determinations.

Getting Clinton in the WH in 2016 to change the SCOTUS is huge in the effort, but there is much more that can be done to undo the 2010 gerrymandering that is keeping the GOP holding on as a national political force.

Comments welcome from those on the Left (those on the Right can go about their business of offering support/apologies for The Donald).

Exactly. We need to get on with this. And maybe in a few blue state legislatures too, if we're lucky.

And I think many moderates and independents would favor the idea of voters choosing their politicians, instead of politicians choosing their voters. Politicians engineering their own re-election, is not exactly democracy-- if that's what Americans want.

[MillsT_98]

Here are my state's congressional districts from 2003-2013:



Here are my state's congressional districts since 2013:



I hate how gerrymandering has affected my state. With the new gerrymandered districts it guarantees the Republicans a majority in the House (at least in Wisconsin).

[playwrite]

Check the 35th in Texas that squeezes all the Hispanics in two different cities into one district -

[Kinser79]

You can take FL off your list since we already redistrict in a nonpartisan fashion and have since 2010 due to constitutional amendment (state constitution) pushed through by the GOP of all groups. Of course then again FL is a purple state that remains purple only due to the I-4 corridor and that is turning red.

[Eric the Green]

(08-03-2016, 08:09 PM)playwrite Wrote: Check the 35th in Texas that squeezes all the Hispanics in two different cities into one district -

Amazing. And amazing furthermore that we put up with this.

[Anthony '58]

Only Ohio and Michigan would really be relevant, of the states shown in red on OP's map.

[politico435]

For those that are interested, here is a little survey I found being used to bring the redistricting process to a ballot initiative. If we can get enough signatures, we might be able to move to an independent commission rather than have a political party plan district lines in the state of Michigan. 

Its real quick, only two questions, and the only thing you need is a Michigan address. Let's get an independent commission!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQ...w/viewform

[pbrower2a]

Thank you. I just signed up.

[Eric the Green]

Great. I hope the voters of Michigan (unlike those in Ohio) realize the value of the people choosing their representatives, rather than the other way around.

We need the next 12 years to be a reform wave like the progressive era.

[Warren Dew]

(08-03-2016, 11:32 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(08-03-2016, 08:09 PM)playwrite Wrote: Check the 35th in Texas that squeezes all the Hispanics in two different cities into one district -

Amazing. And amazing furthermore that we put up with this.

Sometimes districts like that are actually required by the voting rights act, to create "majority minority" districts.

[Eric the Green]

Not districts like this. Gerrymandering lumps people of color and those with Democratic voting records as much as possible in one district. A voting rights act requirement is not to lump people together so tightly in one district, but just to have a majority there. Before the voting rights act, "minorities" were gerrymandered out of any representation.

The non-partisan commission in CA created districts that are relatively homogeneous with common interests and geographically connected, rather than favoring a partisan stance or an incumbent's party.