# Florida redistricting lawsuit **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 28, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478 "2014-05-28T17:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/21 "2014-05-29T23:13:08Z")
… including the 12 year old molestation victim’s testimony? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/22 "2014-05-29T23:19:42Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … including the 12 year old molestation victim’s testimony? What, you can’t read? Evidence that is to be considered in reaching a verdict in a trial should be public. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/23 "2014-05-29T23:21:58Z")
I can read. I am just surprised. Why? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/24 "2014-05-29T23:25:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I can read. I am just surprised. Why? Why? Now I’m surprised. Public oversight of the justice system. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/25 "2014-05-29T23:27:40Z")
How would you secure the 12-year-old’s testimony, anyway? The defendant has to get a copy of it, due to the right to confront one’s accusers… What if the defendant then chooses to release it? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/26 "2014-05-30T13:34:06Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > More and more I’m supporting the proportional representation model. That would render all these redistricting questions moot . . . ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/27 "2014-05-30T13:47:46Z")
What I suspect is true is that perfectly drawn districts, taking into account ethnic backgrounds and family income statistics, would result in no minorities being elected to any seat without some ‘white’ voter support. In a perfectly drawn state, one with 65% whites and 35% blacks, as an example, where each district is 65% white and 35% black…how does a black get elected without white voter backing? Blacks would be a significant voting bloc, yes, one able to largely determine the candidate of the Democratic party, so that the race boils down to a black democrat and a white republican in every state and US Representative race…and if whites tend to vote republican and blacks tend to vote democrat, it is very hard for a black to be elected. I could be wrong, politics being unpredictable. Maybe the white Dems would all back the black candidate in exchange for appointments, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/28 "2014-05-30T15:23:21Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > What I suspect is true is that perfectly drawn districts, taking into account ethnic backgrounds and family income statistics, would result in no minorities being elected to any seat without some ‘white’ voter support. > > In a perfectly drawn state, one with 65% whites and 35% blacks, as an example, where each district is 65% white and 35% black…how does a black get elected without white voter backing? I guess it depends on your definition of ‘perfectly drawn.’ Because to get districts in a 65-35 state that all reflected that breakdown, you’d almost surely have to draw some districts with very interesting boundaries. But if the standard for perfection is strictly some measure of compactness, then a state with that breakdown with several legislative districts would almost surely have some “majority minority” districts. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/29 "2014-05-30T15:50:22Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > That would render all these redistricting questions moot . . . Yup, and it would more fairly represent the state based on how its population actually voted rather than where they live ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/30 "2014-05-30T16:17:24Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Yup, and it would more fairly represent the state based on how its population actually voted rather than where they live And if big rural portions of the state have no representation - screw them. Because politics aren’t local, are they? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/31 "2014-05-30T16:46:27Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > And if big rural portions of the state have no representation . . . But, they do, because the voters who live there do. Remember, we are talking about a system where no one has any representation geographically, and no one’s vote is strengthened nor weakened by their location of residence. If you’re a Pub voting in a solid-blue county under a single-member-district system, you might as well stay home on e-day; but under a PR system your vote has exact the same effect as if you lived in a solid-red county or in a purple/swing county. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/32 "2014-05-30T16:53:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But, they do, because the voters who live there do. Remember, we are talking about a system where no one has any representation geographically, and no one’s vote is strengthened nor weakened by their location of residence. Example: Illinois. Currently 6 out of 18 US House Representatives are Republican. I suspect under proportional system, none out of 18 would be. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/33 "2014-05-30T16:56:27Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Example: Illinois. Currently 6 out of 18 US House Representatives are Republican. I suspect under proportional system, none out of 18 would be. 😕 Do you understand at all how this works?! Under a PR system, if 30% of Illinois voters vote Republican, the Pubs get 30% of the seats – in the **state** legislature, that is; at the national level, only national aggregate vote-totals would matter, how many **American** voters voted Pub. Individual members of the HoR would no longer have any official connection to any state, let alone district. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/34 "2014-05-30T17:19:17Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Example: Illinois. Currently 6 out of 18 US House Representatives are Republican. I suspect under proportional system, none out of 18 would be. Please pick up a book and read how proportional systems work ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/35 "2014-05-30T17:22:16Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Do you understand at all how this works?! Under a PR system, if 30% of Illinois voters vote Republican, the Pubs get 30% of the seats – in the **state** legislature, that is; at the national level, only national aggregate vote-totals would matter, how many **American** voters voted Pub. Individual members of the HoR would no longer have any official connection to any state, let alone district. That’s even worse. So you may have no reps from some states at all. None. How will those states be represented, exactly? Politicians will campaign/make promises etc. in NY, CA, IL. No one will do so in ND, DE, WY, SD, or AK. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/36 "2014-05-30T17:24:11Z")
Who cares? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/37 "2014-05-30T17:28:30Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Who cares? ND, DE, WY, SD and AK do. And under US Constitution you need them to approve in order to get to that proportional representation system. Well, you need 3/4 of the states, but you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/38 "2014-05-30T17:31:40Z")
Yes, but you seem to be discussing it on the merits rather than as a matter of whether it can practically be passed. Anyway, politicians won’t make promises to states, they’ll make them to _people_. If one guy makes a promise to California, and a rival wants to make a promise that will benefit the same number of people in flyover states, he can do so. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/39 "2014-05-30T17:34:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yes, but you seem to be discussing it on the merits rather than as a matter of whether it can practically be passed. Anyway, politicians won’t make promises to states, they’ll make them to _people_. If one guy makes a promise to California, and a rival wants to make a promise that will benefit the same number of people in flyover states, he can do so. “All politics are local”. US is an enormous country, both in population and (more importantly) in geographical area, so it is even more true here. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-redistricting-lawsuit/689478/40 "2014-05-30T17:35:52Z")
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