The Washington Post has created this interesting interactive map which analyzes the severity of gerrymandering (the process where political parties redraw boundaries to give themselves an electoral advantage) for each US Congressional district.
The 4th Congressional district, which includes Newton and is currently served by Rep. Joseph P, Kennedy III, scored a 83.2, which sounds impressive until you realize that the higher the number the more gerrymandered we are.
Please! Can we call it Gregmandered instead?
It’s appropriate since it began here in 1812 and is named for Governor Elbridge GERRY and salaMANDER. There was a great cartoon of the new phenomenon:
https://ballotpedia.org/Redistricting_in_Massachusetts#/media/File:The_Gerry-Mander_Edit.png
Too bad it didn’t work.
Of course the latest was in 2011 after losing a congressional seat and trying to balance the population leaving a 1.6% difference between districts.
The article has a rendering of the 10 most gerrymandered states. The one in Florida is incredible.
I’ll be ready to look at gerrymandering here in Massachusetts when every state hands its redistricting over to a non partisan and politically neutral statewide commission.
@Bob: Why should we wait? Why not take the lead on this?
If you want to see a particularly impressive _looking_ district, from a visual standpoint in the grand tradition of Gerry’s Salamander, check out the map on the Third Governor’s Council district (which itself combines 5 State Senate districts): http://www.billhumphrey.net/our-district
(Disclosure: Yes, I’m running for it in the Sept. 8 primary, and I’ve been running/driving all over it in the past two months, but I’m still genuinely amazed enough to point it out to people out of sincere wonder.)
Bill, have you counted the sides? Good luck on your race!