is the obvious tag on vacation?

Perhaps interested parties could, with sufficient signatures, offer their own districting map on the ballot. Then voters could democratically select the map they liked the best, and use it in the following election.

As an added benefit, the map could be updated every two years, keeping incumbents from becoming too complacent.

Snarfangel: Perhaps interested parties could, with sufficient signatures, offer their own districting map on the ballot. Then voters could democratically select the map they liked the best, and use it in the following election.

As an added benefit, the map could be updated every two years, keeping incumbents from becoming too complacent.

Then it would be a huge argument on whose map gets to be the first choice on the ballot. It's not something most people would have an opinion on, or understand, so the first listed map would win every election.

This is all part of GOP outreach to Hispanic voters.

Unlikely. Perry has never interpreted a map in his life.

You guys might wanna zoom your magnifying glass back a bit. This is happening in every state with a Republican governor and Republican-controlled legislature (that doesn't have nonpartisan redistricting boards).

For example, this is Ohio's proposed map (that the opposition is attempting to put up for referendum in 2012):



One of the bigger spots of contention is that nice skinny green district up on Lake Erie. That's District 9, and it would consolidate Dennis Kucinich's district (in Cleveland) with Marcy Kaptur's district (in Toledo, a good 60 miles away).

Barbigazi: Has anyone told him that he isn't running for president of white people?

No, but he is running for the Nomination of the White People Party (The GOP is 87 percent non-Hispanic white according to a recently released Gallup poll)

HotWingConspiracy: This is all part of GOP outreach to Hispanic voters.

One would think> that the GOP would find themselves wanting to court the vote of people who, speaking broadly, are rather religious, hard-working, and family-oriented.

I wonder what, indeed, is the trait among Hispanics that the GOP finds so distasteful.

IlGreven: One of the bigger spots of contention is that nice skinny green district up on Lake Erie. That's District 9, and it would consolidate Dennis Kucinich's district (in Cleveland) with Marcy Kaptur's district (in Toledo, a good 60 miles away).

The new Texas map will lump East Austin's hispanic community in a Congressional district with Laredo and Corpus Christi, running over 200 miles.

solaufein: So if white land owning males get 1 vote and african americans get .75 of a vote, what do hispanics get?

/not serious

They get to retake math and/or civics?

/60%-er

IlGreven: You guys might wanna zoom your magnifying glass back a bit. This is happening in every state with a Republican governor and Republican-controlled legislature (that doesn't have nonpartisan redistricting boards).

For example, this is Ohio's proposed map (that the opposition is attempting to put up for referendum in 2012):

[ballotpedia.org image 475x599]

One of the bigger spots of contention is that nice skinny green district up on Lake Erie. That's District 9, and it would consolidate Dennis Kucinich's district (in Cleveland) with Marcy Kaptur's district (in Toledo, a good 60 miles away).

Yep. Soooo glad that CA finally got a citizen's redistricting committee passed. That Ohio map doesn't look THAT bad. Aside from 9 and maybe 16 and 11 (from what I can see at this resolution), those borders aren't bad. My area (prior to the redistricting) has some CRAZY borders. Long thin fingers following certain corridors going into weird places. You'd have to be nuts to look at it and think anything BUT "Gerrymandering".

Nadie_AZ: Uncle Wiggly: Stupid redistricting.
Should be bi-partisan.

The California thing might just work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_Redistricting_Commission

Arizona is working on redistricting right now. The committee was non-partisan. During the process, neither party showed up to have input. As SOON as the first map was released, the Republicans howled that it was unfar. Howled, howled, howled. Where were they during the process? They could have had input (it was open to all). biatches be biatching.

I'm sick of it.

I howl for a different reason. The map created safe zones for both parties. No distracting should create safe zones. Generated ot algorithmically based on population, not party affiliation.

MaudlinMutantMollusk: solaufein: So if white land owning males get 1 vote and african americans get .75 of a vote, what do hispanics get?

/not serious

Juan%

Well done.

The republicans committing voter fraud??!?!??!!?!? Holy shiat, we need more Federal Marshall's to round up these republican thingys and jail them for a few decades.

/It's a two party system, so you have to vote blue, or die in a vast sea of red death.
//don't be fooled by republicans pretending to be Libertarians.
///Real Libertarians don't own other peoples reproductive systems... http://www.lp.org/platform

solaufein: So if white land owning males get 1 vote and african americans get .75 of a vote, what do hispanics get?

Shown the door?

HotWingConspiracy: This is all part of GOP outreach to Hispanic voters.

Why won't hispanics vote Republican? It's clearly because they've been brainwashed by liberals and are racist against white people.

MyRandomName: I howl for a different reason. The map created safe zones for both parties. No distracting should create safe zones. Generated ot algorithmically based on population, not party affiliation.

California had an interesting take. Not sure how I feel about it - but one of the citizen's committee's mandates was to protect "neighborhoods of concern" or something like that. Basically, if there was an area that could be realistically viewed as a "community" down to income, ethnic, religious, or other ties, that the community should be districted together, regardless of other boundaries.

In the past, districts were often drawn along "convenient" boundaries like freeways which had the effect of slicing ethnic communities down the middle. Keeping them together lets them be represented as a true community, but has a similar side effect of creating certain "safe" areas or at least districts where a high percentage of the population tend to vote as a block.

Burn_The_Plows: Snarfangel: Perhaps interested parties could, with sufficient signatures, offer their own districting map on the ballot. Then voters could democratically select the map they liked the best, and use it in the following election.

As an added benefit, the map could be updated every two years, keeping incumbents from becoming too complacent.

Then it would be a huge argument on whose map gets to be the first choice on the ballot. It's not something most people would have an opinion on, or understand, so the first listed map would win every election.

Which brings up another point. We are in the 21st century. Is it really that difficult to come up with a way to randomize ballot order? There is no reason to have a fixed candidate order on computerized touch screens, and even on printed ballots it should be easy enough to match a control code with a candidate order. Just print the randomized alphabet at the top of the page, and use that order on the ballot.

The map also limits Austin voters' rights; there is no majority Austin district.

solaufein: So if white land owning males get 1 vote and african americans get .75 of a vote, what do hispanics get?

Electrocuted, if Herman Cain and Tea Partiers had their way.

MaudlinMutantMollusk: Juan%

Versus de Neintey-Nein! Jawol!

"Hey guys... We love democracy so much we're going to try to cheat the hell out of it so we can win!"

Should be by algorithm, not by assholes trying to stack the vote in their favor.

Jose, can you see?

IlGreven: You guys might wanna zoom your magnifying glass back a bit. This is happening in every state with a Republican governor and Republican-controlled legislature (that doesn't have nonpartisan redistricting boards).

FTFY. I know you think the Democrats are just everyday good guys fighting for the rights of Joe Everyman, but while you're checking out Texas and Ohio, why don't you take a look at some of the districts in Maryland and California?

See anything there?

North Carolina laughs at the pathetic attempts of Texas at a fun gerrymandering map

Remember back in 2008 when elections had consequences?

Turns out they're not supposed to anymore.

Democrats complaining about gerrymandering is something akin to arsonists complaining about forest fires.

winterwhile: wait till you see what Maryland... run by dem-o-rats just did to minorities


ha ha ha ha... same thing

thats rigt its funny...........................when minoritys get the shaft

theyre complicated men..........but no one understands then but their womman