Good for Arnie!

[billroper]

Via Instapundit, I discover that Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a plan to eliminate gerrymandering in California. It may not be a perfect plan, but it'll get folks talking about the issue.

Comments

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I'm not a big fan of Ahnult's governance, but I have to admit that, on its face, that idea has a lot to recommend it. The devil will be in the details, but by all means it should be looked at.

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

I listened to parts of his speech this morning on NPR, and I thought pretty well of it. He's got lots of good intentions, I hope he can make some of them work. I also think gerrymandering is reprehensible.

gerrymandering

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

OK. I'll adimit to ignorance, I read the article and I made sense. but I don't get what gerrymandering is.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I don't think anything will be done. Both parties like the system broken.

B

Re: Gerrymandering

[rono-60103.livejournal.com]

If I had my way, I'd find a way to remove as much of the human element from the redistricting process as possible. Assuming the US Census can provide a reasonably accurate distribution of the population over the geography of a state, there should be a reasonable algorithm that produces geographically concentrated blocks containing the target population (within a reasonable range). Perhaps showing my bias coming from a low-population state, I'd want the algorithm to try to do it by whole counties, then by any sub-county organization, working down by township, section, sub-section, and finally into neighborhoods etc.

Of course, this would be seen as unfair by those who feel that there must be a district that represents some specific group.

I doubt that the politicians would ever stand for this, or anything else that preserves the status-quo that they depend on.

[sdorn.livejournal.com]

I'd love if compactness were a national standard. As long as this applies to every state, it'd be a good thing.