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How the same House election can produce a 65-seat Democratic majority or a 92-seat Republican one
Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold
How the exact same House election can produce a 65-seat Democratic majority or a 92-seat Republican one
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Wonkblog Analysis
How the exact same House election can produce a 65-seat Democratic majority or a 92-seat Republican one
By Christopher Ingraham February 9 at 1:04 PM
Today is the deadline for Pennsylvania Republicans to submit a new congressional district map for gubernatorial approval, following a ruling from the state Supreme Court that the current districts are an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander that deprive the state's residents of participating in free and equal elections.
The practice of gerrymandering has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. In most states, the redistricting processes is controlled by whichever party is in control at the statehouse at the time of redistricting. This creates a tremendous incentive for that party to draw district boundaries that benefit themselves and disadvantage their opponents.
In states with a large number of districts, like Pennsylvania, the leeway afforded to lawmakers is huge. After the 2010 Census, for instance, Pennsylvania Republicans drew themselves a map that created 13 safe Republican seats and just five Democratic ones: three in Philadelphia, one in Pittsburgh, and one encompassing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region in the northeast of the state{.}
....
We tend to think that voters choose their representatives, making Congress a reflection of the will of the people. But in reality, much of the current makeup of the House is a product of politicians choosing their voters.
Christopher Ingraham writes about politics, drug policy and all things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center. Follow @_cingraham
How the exact same House election can produce a 65-seat Democratic majority or a 92-seat Republican one
By Christopher Ingraham February 9 at 1:04 PM
Today is the deadline for Pennsylvania Republicans to submit a new congressional district map for gubernatorial approval, following a ruling from the state Supreme Court that the current districts are an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander that deprive the state's residents of participating in free and equal elections.
The practice of gerrymandering has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. In most states, the redistricting processes is controlled by whichever party is in control at the statehouse at the time of redistricting. This creates a tremendous incentive for that party to draw district boundaries that benefit themselves and disadvantage their opponents.
In states with a large number of districts, like Pennsylvania, the leeway afforded to lawmakers is huge. After the 2010 Census, for instance, Pennsylvania Republicans drew themselves a map that created 13 safe Republican seats and just five Democratic ones: three in Philadelphia, one in Pittsburgh, and one encompassing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region in the northeast of the state{.}
....
We tend to think that voters choose their representatives, making Congress a reflection of the will of the people. But in reality, much of the current makeup of the House is a product of politicians choosing their voters.
Christopher Ingraham writes about politics, drug policy and all things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center. Follow @_cingraham
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