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Most Gerrymandered District

by: DavidNYC

Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 12:55 AM EDT


Get a load of this beaut:

This is one of the iterations that Rep. Cleo Fields' district went through during the 1990s. LA-04 was a masterwork of racial gerrymandering, starting off life with a 63% black voting-age population. It was repeatedly struck down by the courts (full story here), which ultimately ordered the creation of a very different-looking 27% black district. After it was renumbered as the 5th CD, Republican John Cooksey won the seat in 1996.

I'm not opining on the merits of gerrymandering here (though I do think some folks make too much of a fetish out of "compactness"). Rather, I'd love to see other examples of excellence in district-drawing. So please post links to your favorite examples of creative (or crazy) gerrymandering. Districts can be federal, state, local, what have you. The only rule is that someone, somewhere has to have implemented or tried to implement `em (so, nothing you've created yourself on Dave's app).

Note: If you post a pic in the comments, please make sure it's a maximum of 590 pixels wide. Otherwise, the site's layout will get messed up on many browsers.

Have fun!

(Thanks to Rupper for the LA-04 district map.)
DavidNYC :: Most Gerrymandered District
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Most Gerrymandered District | 86 comments
Hey!
I could use that for my redistricting of LA, that way, LA-02 can be turned into a more racially balanced district for a Cao comeback in 2012. The AA's in Northern LA aren't as liberal so...  
why would anyone want a Cao comeback?
He's the equivalent of a clueless political neophyte with no experience or understanding of the issues.

And, unless you tried otake in St. Tammany you can't override the liberalism of NOLA.

Louisina has to have two Democratic seats, that's what I tried to do in my map.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
this is one of the classic beauties:
Photobucket

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
maryland is the most
horrifically gerrymandered states really. I do care about continuity and communities of interest, a good gerrymander should there favor one idology without going overboard and without purposefully damaging democracy by encouraging the tyranny of the majority by creating maps that disproportiantely favor one party.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
Horrific???
Not to me! The 2002 Maryland remap took the state from a 4D - 4R congressional delegation to a 6D - 2R split, while still preserving two minority-majority districts. I think that's a tremendous accomplishment.

(In 2008, we picked up a seventh seat in MD-01 after Rethugs were stupid enough to unseat Rep. Wayne Gilchrist in the primary.)

[ Parent ]
like i said, horriffic
the maps are atrocious examples of obvious political tampering, and it sets a bad precedent that can be taken to such an extreme as to undermine political liberty and democracy itself with the complete and utter tyranny of the majority.

6-2 is not representative of the the states political leanings, at least not at the time, it's shifted further to left now But 7-1 is especially inequitable.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
Horrific, maybe
But it's not the fault of partisan maximization.  The worst districts, by far, are the 4th and 7th, and they have to be that way to comply with the VRA. The 2nd's hook into Balt Co. is a little weird, but it doesn't seem so horrible.  The 3rd is gerrymandered, but only because the 4th and 7th are.

30, male, Democratic, CO-01
[ Parent ]
they don't need to be that overwhelmingly black
i think that by now, in most states, a black percentage of 44-46 is enough to almost certainly get a black representatibe at this point, taht portion of the law needs to be reviewed.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
Maybe so
But I don't foresee that changing in the near future.  Something like Mississippi would be an interesting test case...probably the state with the least likely population of whites to vote for a black candidate.  Be interesting to look up what Obama's white percentage was.

30, male, Democratic, CO-01
[ Parent ]
look at it this way
Black voters would control the primary. In the general they get 95% of the black vote. The white candidate usually tops out at 78%, so he still wins cause his percentage was much higher.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
Come on, dude
This is wider than 590 pixels. Please, please resize images in the future (or in the case of these National Atlas maps, just cut off the stuff on the right-hand side). Thanks.
[ Parent ]
sorry, I didn't realize, I will
it didn't occur to me automatically.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
FL-03:
Photobucket

and this monstrosity, designed to take up all the Democratic votes in north florida, is not majority minority so it is not protected.

Besides that some areas of the VRA are obviously outdated. Majority minority are no long neccessary to elect minority representation, its been shown in numerous instances. Race is no longer as big a factor and coalition districts need to be specifically included. Beyond that it shouldn't always be ilegal to split up minority voters. Because it doesn't always dilute their voting power; I made five districts that would elect an AA representative area, but i did it by making the all a bare-majority black or plurality black but they would certainly elect black representatives. In its own way packing races into super-majority minority districts is a form of political discrimination because it weakens their political influence.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

Ron Klein's district:
Photobucket

Leave it to republicans to make a marginal swing district with a huge upper class Republican base in two counties that each give more than 60% of the vote to Democrats.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
in fact I really don't see
how this distrct could not be unanimously voted the most gerrymandered district in the US. I'm nt sure how it's continuous in several places, even with touch-point continuity.

Its 60 something mile of zig-zagging insanity.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
I think it's funny how NY-20 and NY-24 look like New York is double-barrel flicking Vermont off.
We should do a diary using districts as Rorschach tests.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
CA-23, filled with all the Democrats on the Southern Central Coast.
69gzkj.gif

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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)
ouch, I hope they get rid of that
and insted draw out Dana Rohrabahker.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
And speaking of "Crazy" Dana Rohrabacher...
Here's where all the Republican voters in the Palos Verdes Peninsula that made Jane Harman's CA-36 competitive in the 90s went.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

I agree we can do a little tweaking to try and get Crazy Dana outta there, and am thinking about trading Democratic parts of Long Beach from CA-37 for some Republican parts of CA-46, rather than make the trade with CA-36. Richardson can afford to lose some Democrats, and I don't want to put Harman at risk.

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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)

[ Parent ]
the critical thing is relacing harman period
Ireally don't see how that's even continuous.

without Palos Verdes the district would competitive especially if it took in some heavily hispanic urban areas just to the east.

Huntington Beach, Surf City USA, itself leans fairly Democratic. Its kind of amazing though, is ahrd to think or any other cities that grew 909% in the decaade between 1960-1970.  

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
For CA-36
I meant to say that I don't want to make the district less Democratic so we can get a more progressive Dem in there safely.

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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)
[ Parent ]
Maybe
You could ditch Palos Verdes, put it in a safe D seat, and replace it with territory from Long Beach to make CA-46 R+1 or R+2? Huntington Beach is still pretty heavily Republican, and with 200,000 people it's the anchor of the district.  
[ Parent ]
huh?
not really. The current district voted for McCain by a two point margin.

I have trouble believing "Surf City USA" settled mainly by former hippies in the 60s and 70s, can be that conservative, it at least can't be as whacky as Palos Verdes which i just read up on.

A Huntington Beah-Long Beach district with some urban la hispanic areas would be about about D+1 or D+2.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
Huntington Beach voted for McCain 52-47
which makes it competitive nationally, but on the state level it isn't at all competitive. The State Senator and Assemblyman each won 60+% of the vote in their last re-election campaigns, and 53-42 for Rohrabacher.

Huntington Beach is still fairly conservative, but not impossibly so.

[ Parent ]
reference:
[ Parent ]
True H-Beach is still Republican, though it is becoming it is becoming less so than in the past.
McCain's 52-47 way underperformed Bush's 57-37 in 2004.

Here is a list of cities in the district and who they voted for:

Costa Mesa: Narrowly Obama
Fountain Valley: Narrowly McCain
Huntington Beach: Lean McCain
Los Alamitos: Slightly McCain
Seal Beach: Narrowly McCain
Westminster: Lean McCain

Rancho Palos Verdes: Slight McCain
Rolling Hills: Almost 2:1 McCain but it is very tiny so it made little difference
Rolling Hills Estates: Lean McCain
Palos Verdes Estates: Lean McCain
Avalon (on Santa Catalina Island): Lean Obama and this is a tiny city also

Parts of Long Beach are also in this district, and Obama narrowly won the L.A. part of the district, so I'm guessing the L.B. portion of CA-46 leaned strongly Dem enough so Obama could carry the L.A. part of CA-46.

So I think a good strategy is to take out the Palos Verdes cities and move them to CA-37, in pretty much the same style as SD-25/AD-54, in exchange for more of Long Beach, and shift some GOP-leaning smaller cities (excepting H-Beach of course and Seal Beach for continuity) to CA-47.

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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)

[ Parent ]
of course
The state party would also have to get its act together and build a party organization down here - like I said, Democrats are still uncompetitive in SD-35/AD-67. Tom Harman is termed out and running for Attorney General, so in theory we can try to play offense in SD-35 next year with a suitable candidate.

[ Parent ]
from wikipedia:
The district is moderately to heavily (in some places) Democratic with Capps winning the last election (2006) with 65% of the vote. John Kerry received 58% of the vote in this district in 2004; George W. Bush received 40%.[1] The district voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger 54-41% in 2006,[2] Dianne Feinstein 62-32% in 2006,[3] Barbara Boxer 60-35% in 2004,[4] recalling Gray Davis 53-47%[5] and Schwarzenegger 42-35%[6] in 2003, and Davis 48-41% in 2002.[7]

Proportionally, it is one of the narrowest districts in the United States and is barely noticeable on most maps. Its largest town is the heavily industrial Oxnard. The lines of this district are controversial and are a result of California's bi-partisan incumbent gerrymandering. The district lines are used both as an outrageous example of gerrymandering, since the district favors a Democrat and is about 200 miles (320 km) long, and paradoxically as an outstanding example of the preservation of the common interests of voters. If the district was distributed among the adjacent inland districts there would be less effective representation of coastal interests, particularly with regards to fisheries, tourism, development, and offshore oil drilling.

However, to preserve Republican numbers representing California in the House of Representatives, the state Republican party has fought to avoid having any part of this district combined with the less-populous parts of either Ventura or Santa Barbara counties, as this would erode the Republican majorities in those counties.

The district has often been criticized for and been cited as an example of gerrymandering. However some of the claims made about the size and shape of the district are untrue. While the length of the district can be measured at about 200 miles, one reaches this number only by following the curves of the coast line. By drawing a straight line from point to point the district is about 70 miles (110 km) long. It connects what many consider to be Northern and Southern California because it is in Central California. Additionally contrary to what some have stated the district is much wider than 5 miles (8.0 km) in many places. Simply looking at the political boundaries alone make the district seem very highly suspect. But once factoring in the population density[8] and geography[9] the shape and size of the congressional district does make more sense. This does not mean that the district wasn't part of the bipartisan push for preserving incumbents, only that the district's proportions are not so egregious as many opponents say.


Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
Here's the updated presidential and congressional info, from 2008.
Obama won 66-32 and Capps won 68-32.

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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)
[ Parent ]
I actually like that district
From a "communities of interest" point of view, the people who live on the coast in that region are very different culturally from those who live inland, so much so that they seriously considered splitting Santa Barbra County in two not too long ago.  So while it definitely looks ugly and was certainly drawn for political reasons, i think there are valid cultural / community identity reasons why a neutral commission would consider preserving it.

28, Unenrolled, MA-08
[ Parent ]
I completely agree
It's one of those districts that look bizarre on the map, but when you think about the commonality of coastal cities vs. inland ones, it does make sense.  And I really like Lois Capps.
[ Parent ]
I do too.
I just put it on here because it is one of my favorite gerrymandered districts. CA-46 is too, to an extent, because it connects the strongly Republican (for L.A. County standards) Palos Verdes area with like-minded voters in NW OC. Though I'd like to see CA-23 largely maintained, and some more of CA-46's Republican strength (for state standards) diluted.

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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)
[ Parent ]
It's a horrible district, #1 district to change in 2010
Capps won by 90k votes and 36%.  Gallegy won by 50k votes, and 16%.

Duh.  Instead of two Democratic districts, with win percentages about 10%, we get an overwhlmingly blue gerrymandered monstrosity, and a safe red seat for someone more conservative for his district.

Stupid gerrymandering at its worst, especially since at the south end of Gallegy is Waxman's 100%/overwhelmingly Democratic district from which some blue votes could be added if needed.  (And north of it is McCarthy's 100% overwhelmingly red district where more red could be crammed if need be.

Rohrabacher is a gerrymandering embarrassment.  Capps/Gallegy is pure incompetence.

[ Parent ]
Georgia State Senate District 20
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/l... (Look smack in the middle of the map and go down a bit.)

It looks like a Grunt from Halo.  

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

SD-20?
I'm just not seeing it.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
Look at it on the full map
It looks like a sideview of a Grunt, with that big tank on the back and hunched over.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
nope.
It just looks like  fairly normal shaped district.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
Also in California
Senate District 25 and Assembly District 54, which virtually silence the Palos Verdes vote by connecting them with strongly Democratic areas, in a creative hook with very heavily Democratic South Central L.A. in SD-25, and with Long Beach in AD-54.

Inner L.A. Senate districts: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/...

Inner L.A. Assembly districts: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/...

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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)

Obama won Long Beach almost 70-30.


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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)
[ Parent ]
the state senate sets are larger than the U.S. house seats
They should do basically the samething to Rohrabahker, except I'd split Palos Verdes too just to make sure.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
Oh man
I bet the Palos Verdes voters were pissed to be put with South Central LA, probably Long Beach too. Im sure theyd be more pissed if it was a congressional district but still.  
[ Parent ]
Especially since
They probably dont have much of a voting power in the district. as its probably solidly Dem.
[ Parent ]
Palos Verdes is not that Republican
It's not that large, and it's not that red, so it doesn't take too much blue to dilute.  The problem with the CD is it is connected to much redder stuff by a thin corridor.

Keep Palos Verdes with the LA county districts rather than oddly tying it to Orange County, and it wouldn't drag anybody down.

[ Parent ]
But It Did At One Point....
Which is how it wound up as part of Rohrabachers district.

It used to be in the 36th with Harman, and the combination of PV (which has moderated a little bit, it used to be deep red) and some other right-leaning cities in the district (El Segundo, in particular), made the district really tough for Harman.

In her four wins in the district from 1992 to 2000 (remember she did not run in 1998 because of an unsuccessful run for governor)--she won with 48%, 48%, 51%, and 48% of the vote. The GOP won the open seat in 1998 with 49%.

So...they take out the PV peninsula (connecting it to the OC by about a one-block strip of Long Beach...brilliant), and they added...Carson. As in 93% for Al Gore Carson.

Problem solved! She hasn't gotten less than 61% since.

"You share your young with the wolves of the nation, there's nothing left til you pray for salvation."

--Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

"American X"

[ Parent ]
No, problem worsened, no need for her to win that big
The area, like all Coastal California red areas, has moved left a lot.  We can afford for it to be where it should be.  It's LA, not OC, culturally and logistically.

Sure that area was different in the 1990s, but it has changed.  From a gerrymander persepective, best case would be to hack it in two down Hawthorne, with most of PVE in one district and RPV in the other.  But that isn't needed.  It could be included in an overall blue district.

[ Parent ]
NY-09:
basically don't see what this does except combine the all the blue-collar white areas of NYC, something that might be backfiring as that demographic has become significantly more conservative and open to Republicans since 9/11.

Photobucket

In fact I don't see how its continuous.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

nor do i see how this
Photobucket

Is continuous. I udnerstand the rule allowing use of breaks of water, but in both those districts there are large chunks of area on asingle continuous land mass and I simply don't see any connection between them.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus

[ Parent ]
NY-12
won a contest for most gerrymandered; IIRC.  I believe each CD must have its borders described in text.  And NY-12's was the longest.
[ Parent ]
Link? (eom)

[ Parent ]
It was in the book
Bushmanders and Bullwinkles, by Mark Mommonier.

[ Parent ]
The Manhattan part...
is actually contiguous, but just isn't shown properly on that map.


[ Parent ]
An explaination for Weiner's district
Going so heavily for Gore is that Lieberman was on the ticket and many, many voters in that district are Jewish. Thus the election was an 'outlier' and not really representative at all of how they vote in Pres. elections.
[ Parent ]
Meant to say
Orthodox Jewish, many of whom regularly vote GOP. though certainly many Reform Jews I would think, too. Schumer and Weiner, themselves, definitely strike me as Reform.
[ Parent ]
Maryland is pretty crazy
Districts 2 and 3 are probably the most gerrymandered in the nation outside of South Florida. I like how 3 follows a parkway in the city for a few miles, taking in no residences. Somehow they managed to divided up North AA County so that each section voted for Obama even though it's full of rednecks. Yeah, it's that good of a gerrymander.

The legislative map that Glendenning proposed in 2002 was really crazy, some of the crazy stuff passed, like District 12 and District 38A (gerrymandered to be a majority-black district). Some of the ones rejected by the courts were 44, 46, and 31, which cracked Dundalk to account for decreased Democratic performance there. 44 runs from West Baltimore to Dundalk across the Bay.

They ended up ruling that none of the districts could cross the city line into the county, which I think is too restrictive since its not like the two don't have any common interests at all. Hopefully they won't hold us to that in 2012 (and hopefully O'Malley learned from Glendenning)



21, Male, Democrat, MD-02 (home/registered), MD-05 (college)

The state of Maryland itself looks like a gerrymandered district.
Seriously.  What with the cut-off corner forming Delaware but which doesn't take the rest of the peninsula with it, and the little notch above West Virginia.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
I recently learned about this...
...essentially, Maryland lost every single territorial dispute it had with its neighbors. Even Delaware.  
[ Parent ]
Aww, poor Maryland.
And poor mapmakers who need to figure out what this thing looks like.

(A bird with a very long neck looking over the edge of a cliff?)

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01

[ Parent ]
Nothing beats AZ-02
Everybody gets the logic of it, but in terms of pure weird lookingness, nothing comes close.
IL-04?


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28, New Democrat, Female, TX-03 (hometown CA-26)
TX-2
Though it doesnt look like an extreme gerrymander on the map, its most definitely the antithesis of a district that is a 'community of interests'. It includes affluent northern suburbs (including Spring), and two different blue collar areas. The Harris County blue collar area (which includes Baytown and LaPorte) is much more favorable to Republicans than the Beaumont/Port Arthur blue collar area. I spent most of the first 8 years of my life in Baytown (before moving to the Clear Lake area where ive been ever since) so Id probably be in this district had I stayed there. as i was in a 'white' part of Baytown and i would think most white Baytown folks are in this district and not Gene Green's. But even they are blue collar, but the blue collar folks here are much, much more receptive of the GOP than in the Beaumont area. Though you can certainly make the argument that the Beaumont area is, um, not as racially tolerant. Also this district includes alot of rural Liberty and Jefferson County. I know districts should be balanced...but thats not why it was made. the Beaumont/Port Arthur district got all these GOP areas so the TX GOP could redistrict Nick Lampson out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...

Clear Lake?
You mean BayBrookWoodMiddleForestOaks?

I can say this because I grew up there as well.

[ Parent ]
Yup
Thats the one. I spent most of my Clear Lake years in the area known as 'Clear Lake City' (which is technically a part of Houston), around Bay Area/Bay Oaks. Although I had wished I was raised in Bay Oaks, as thats a very wealthy area LOL. Instead was raised in the more middle class subdivision known as Bay Knoll (near the larger Bay Glen subdivision). These are basically masterplanned communities. The Bay Knoll subdivision was only built in the 1980s. As were many other in the Clear Lake City area. Some even in the 90s. Lets just say...if someone moved from the Clear Lake City area 40 or even 30 years ago and were to return now for the 1st time..they wouldnt even recognize it. Besides places like Nassau Bay (which is near NASA). Im now in Seabrook, right by Kemah.  
[ Parent ]
Molly Ivins Anecdote
This talk about crazy districts reminded me of a short anecdote by Molly Ivins on redistricting:
Now on the redistricting map that touched off this mess, I have seen maps that are works of art. I have seen districts that look like giant chickens and districts that look like coiled snakes.

But this map is a masterpiece, a veritable Dadaist work reminiscent of Salvador Dali's more lunatic productions. Unfortunately, the D's may not have much of a legal argument here. True, it has been 50 years since a legislature has overturned a court-ordered redistricting plan: on the other hand, nothing says they can't. The courts have said gross political gerrymandering is impermissible, but it's a tough area of law.

Many years ago, when Delwin Jones was redistricting chairman, an aggrieved member addressed him: "Dell-win, lookahere what you have done to mah district. It's got a great big ball on the one end, then it runs in a little bitty strip for 300 miles, then there's a great big ball at the other end. Damn thing looks like a pair of dumbbells. Now, the courts say the districts have to be com-pact and con-tiguous. Is this yer idea of com-pact and con-tiguous?" Delwin pondered deeply before replying, "Wha ell, in a artistic sense, it is."

FYI, link to Delwin's state house page.

Its funny...
Even 20 years ago I bet most Republicans were delighted to have John Culberson's west Houston-based diatrict (though he was not the congressman then, of course. just using him as a reference since many dont know the congressmen just by looking at the district number) be so solidly GOP. Even many Democrats i bet, too, since they could create a rural, traditional Dem district around it. But in 10 years I bet most Republicans will be like, 'damn, we need to put alot of rural areas in there to make it more Republican!'. My how times have changed.
[ Parent ]
Meant 20 years ago they wanted it to be
so solidly GOP and west Houston suburban. Though the west Houston exurbs in McCaul's are much more GOP and a different breed really.
[ Parent ]
they're trending dem too though
his district isn't improving solely because of a 30% portion of travis county.

Call no man happy until he is dead-Aeschylus
[ Parent ]
Great stuff
And thanks for posting that.  I think about Molly Ivins every now and then.  In a way I think it was fitting she died within a few months of Ann Richards.  Two progressive Texas women the world, if nothing else, is more boring without them in it.
[ Parent ]
Ive always heard
That Ann Richards was only elected because her Republican opponent totally put his foot in his mouth. Making a rape joke...seriously.  
[ Parent ]
I wrote 3 diaries on daily Kos
Your second link is also to the first page


party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
What about
Virginia State Senate
District 6 (Ralph Northam - D):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

Majority of it is in Norfolk, but it also includes the Eastern Shore and... Mathews County on the Middle Peninsula? The hell? Probably drawn to give the previous occupant (a Republican) a slightly-better chance of winning.

District 18 (Louise Lucas - D):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

Sen. Lucas lives in Portsmouth, which is on the eastern edge of the district. And it stretches nearly all the way to Farmville, which is at least 120 miles away. Undoubtedly designed to get as many black voters in the district as possible.

District 25 (Creigh Deeds - D):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

Yeah, this is Sen. Deeds' district. Majority of the population is in the Charlottesville area, and he lives on the western end in Bath County.

District 28 (Richard Stuart - R):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

We nearly won this district in 2007, with Al Pollard from the Northern Neck (southeastern part of the district). Unfortunately for him, the district stretches about 50 or 60 miles up to the NoVa exurbs.

Virginia House of Delegates
District 12 (Jim Shuler - D):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

Poor Bath County. It's on the unpopulated edge of the district again.

District 17 (William Fralin - R):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

Take all the white parts of Roanoke and surrounding areas and make a Republican-leaning district.

District 31 (Scott Lingamfelter - R):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

District 31 is going to eat you, Prince William Forest Park!

District 58 (Rob Bell - R):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

New Jersey is recreated around Charlottesville.

District 62 (Riley Ingram - R):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

Did they use a fractal generator to make this district?

District 74 (Joe Morrissey - D):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

And here's Oklahoma after having melted.

District 76 (Chris Jones - R):

http://www.vpap.org/elections/...

You can't even GET to the Chespeake part of the district from the Suffolk part -- it's connected by the Great Dismal Swamp!

Lincoln riding a vacuum cleaner
I forget which district that is, but that is
my personal favorite district.

progressive, NY-8 (home), PA-7 (college)
James found it
NY State Senate district 51.
[ Parent ]
More FL districts
Take a look at FL-HD-107.  Map's a PDF, or I'd include it.  Link below.

http://myfloridahouse.gov/File...

It covers South Beach, Brickell, Little Havana, Key Biscayne, and parts of Pinecrest and surrounding areas.

Most of the "surrounding areas," of course, are water.  You need a boat to travel while staying only within the district.

FL-11 is similar, but at least there are some connecting roads.


IL-04
Someone mentioned this upthread, but I don't think the map has been posted:

Wikipedia says it's D+32 and 74.5% Hispanic, in Chicago.

I used this district as an example to explain the concept of gerrymandering to a British professor of mine who was unfamiliar with the practice
His reaction: "It looks like 18th century Prussia".

Male, 23, DC-At Large
[ Parent ]
The original "Gerry" mander
Wikipedia:
The term gerrymandering is derived from Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), the governor of Massachusetts from 1810 to 1812. It is a portmanteau of Gerry and salamander. In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill into law that redistricted his state to benefit his Democratic-Republican party. One of the resulting contorted districts was said to resemble the mythic salamander, a sort of a small dragon.[1] The term first appeared in the Boston Gazette on March 26, 1812 (see image below).


Which actuallydoesn't look that bad
considering some of the other writhing masses of population land area we've seen.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Best Of The NY State Senate Districts
Someone mentioned New York State Senate 51 "Lincoln an a vacuum cleaner" district. But that's not the best one. Here's a little tour of some others.

District 16: A tribute to the lobster fishermen of Long Island?
http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/...

District 56: Just barely contiguous
http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/...

District 14: What makes this one continguous? A highway?
http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/...

District 60: Not even pretending to be contiguous
http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/...

District 34: Rorschach test. This reminds you of a ...?
http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/...

(And if you want to see Abe on his Electrolux, he's at http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/...

undead Abe Lincoln monster eating a chicken?
Also, District 60 is contiguous at low tide, I hear.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
The old LA-04 pictured here looks like
yellow mold gradually eating into a boot.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
90s-era districts aren't getting enough love in this topic
Old NY-18, anyone? Starts out logically enough in Westchester County, crosses into the Bronx, but then starts literally snaking through Queens.

22, Democrat, AZ-01
Peace. Love. Gabby.
Indeed
[ Parent ]
None of your links seem to work.


party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Most Gerrymandered District | 86 comments

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