Worst Gerrymandering

[c9]

Just found this awesome/awful image of six badly gerrymandered congressional districts in the US. Gerrymandering is the redrawing of electoral boundaries to effect a change in voting patterns -- for example, to put all the blacks or evangelicals in one place or to spread them out, which dramatically changes potential results. *sigh*



You can see maps of Canada's ridings on the Elections Canada Electoral Districts site. I don't think Canada has many bad ones, since Elections Canada is independent (despite what the Tories currently are claiming in court). Examples of a few ridings: my riding of Toronto Danforth, our largest riding of Nunavut, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's riding of Calgary Southwest -- for fun, check out the very short candidates list! Also, here's a giant map of the results from the last election (PDF).

Comments

[ironmanjt.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's rather disgusting. There is another side to this too - trying to lump all the "religious white folk" into one district as well. Both sides have been guilty of this, and yes, the process needs to be de-politicized. The fact Congress has a say in how their districts look is disgusting.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I didn't mean that to be read as a one-side-is-at-fault example actually. I'll adjust my phrasing.

There's so much in the US that just doesn't make any sense to me. Voting for judges, for example. I understand the arguments, I just can't imagine.

[ironmanjt.livejournal.com]

LOL, don't worry - many Americans find equal puzzlement in our 51st state - including Sarah Palin. ;-)

But, for all its faults, America was well ahead of its time in the 1700s. There's a reason America "worked." It was framed by (what I believe to be) one of the most brilliant and groundbreaking documents of all time - the US Constitution.

[lifein2x3.livejournal.com]

That's what happened here in Virginia's 3rd district. It's represented by a black Democrat, Bobby Scott, whose district also used to include Isle of Wight County, my home county which is 61% white and 61% Republican. Said county now lies in the 4th district, which has a solid Republican majority and has elected a conservative Republican, Randy Forbes, every election since the gerrymander in 2000.

The only thing my district, the 3rd, has in common is the James River and poor black people in majority-black Surry & Charles City counties and the inner-city areas of Richmond, Portsmouth, Norfolk & Newport News. I think they added Prince George and New Kent counties to have some token white people.

[lifein2x3.livejournal.com]

What does Congress have to do with it? Districting is done at the state level.

[nihilicious.livejournal.com]

What about this list of very short candidates? This seems wrong.

[c9.livejournal.com]

You know the old saying in Alberta, "Don't trust anybody over 40 inches."

[nihilicious.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! - {some honourable members)

Illinois 4th

[wvbill.livejournal.com]

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=IL&district=4

It don't get no better than this Chicago masterpiece. Using a 20-mile ribbon which follows rivers, bicycle paths, forest preserves, Interstate rights of way, a golf course, two large cemeteries, and a massive rail yard, the Chicago machine connected the Hispanic neighborhoods on both the north and south sides of town, resulting in a safe hispanic seat with the 5th highest concentration of hispanics in any congressional district.

Re: Illinois 4th

[c9.livejournal.com]

OMG that's awesome/awful!