# How to fix Gerrymandering in 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 20, 2017, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596 "2017-01-20T02:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/21 "2017-01-20T15:24:52Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > It’s frankly surprising to me that you let elected officials control the electorate to the extent they do. I’m an anarchist, too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/22 "2017-01-20T17:45:55Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I’m an anarchist, too. 😉 Heh, well, I’m not an anarchist, but I live in a country where the management of election districts and voter rolls is handled by [a government agency set up for that purpose,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_Canada) working in conjunction with its provincial counterparts. Not a perfect system to be sure (as if such could exist) but it’s far less obviously partisan. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/23 "2017-01-21T20:02:16Z")
Mandate that districts be drawn following zip code boundaries. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/24 "2017-01-23T21:38:00Z")
Allow proportional representation. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/25 "2017-01-23T23:53:23Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Mandate that districts be drawn following zip code boundaries. Point of interest: zip codes aren’t actual “boundaries”, but collections of mailing addresses for postal workers. What you’d probably want to use is the Census Bureau’s “[zip code tabulation areas](https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/zctas.html)”, which are a pretty good approximation. And even then, if the state legislature is the one assigning zip codes to Congressional districts, they can still gerrymander, they just have a little less fine-grained control over it than when they can draw lines to cut through ZCTAs ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/26 "2017-01-24T15:48:56Z")
Obviously, try to start some mass internal migration to flip districts is a pretty ridiculous suggestion. Sorry OP. There just isn’t any realistic way to fix gerrymandering within the next 2 years. A possible solution would be to get a ballot initiative going in the states to set up a more neutral redistricting system, something akin to what is done in Canada. Not exactly a sexy ballot initiative, I admit. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/27 "2017-01-24T21:04:20Z")
I had a similar idea, but on a much larger scale: having large numbers of Democrats, especially those of color, emigrate to largely red states, primarily those near enough to becoming swing states. (This would have the added benefit of scaring the bejeezus out of reality-challenged Republicans.) Ah well, it was a nice fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/28 "2017-01-24T21:16:57Z")
It’s a nice fantasy that thousands of people you don’t know would uproot their lives at no cost to yourself in order to maybe gain a couple of Congressional seats for your favoured political party. Real nice. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/29 "2017-01-24T21:39:07Z")
Someone needs his tongue-in-cheek meter checked. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/30 "2017-01-24T21:40:07Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > A possible solution would be to get a ballot initiative going in the states to set up a more neutral redistricting system, something akin to what is done in Canada. Not exactly a sexy ballot initiative, I admit. But it is worthwhile, one must admit. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/31 "2017-01-24T21:54:14Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Someone needs his tongue-in-cheek meter checked. Well you’re basically saying almost the exact same thing as the OP which was apparently offered in all seriousness, so I hope you’ll forgive me missing that. Poe’s Law I guess. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/32 "2017-01-24T22:39:13Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > A possible solution would be to get a ballot initiative going in the states to set up a more neutral redistricting system, something akin to what is done in Canada. Not exactly a sexy ballot initiative, I admit. Hey, that’s an idea from [my thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=817098). ---
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/33 "2017-01-25T01:05:05Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > This is nuts. Most people probably don’t know who their Congressperson is, or care. You’ve got basically no chance of convincing enough people to move to the “right” Congressional districts just to counteract gerrymandering in the next 21 months. Even if you could achieve it, that Herculean effort will just be undone by state legislatures that gerrymander districts in 2020, and you’ll be right back to begging people to pick up and move for an issue most of them don’t care about. > > TL;DR: I can think of 100 more effective ways to spend your activist time and energy besides this. > > ETA: but if Michael Bloomberg decides he wants to send me a check to upgrade my house across town, I won’t turn him down. Getting people to move is really hard to do… but what about something else. What about them just “saying” they moved to some friends or relatives address that lives out in the conservative districts, when in fact they still live in their normal blue district. Is it illegal to change your residence to another persons house? They need not be the owner to claim they reside their as long as the owner consents? If republicans want to cheat with district drawing and that is considered legal, then as long as what I mentioned is legal as well… well, sauce for the goose ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/34 "2017-01-25T01:12:32Z")
> [@Salvor](#): > > Getting people to move is really hard to do… but what about something else. What about them just “saying” they moved to some friends or relatives address that lives out in the conservative districts, when in fact they still live in their normal blue district. Is it illegal to change your residence to another persons house? They need not be the owner to claim they reside their as long as the owner consents? If republicans want to cheat with district drawing and that is considered legal, then as long as what I mentioned is legal as well… > > well, sauce for the goose That would be fraud. Here is a WI statute, for example: > **[Wisconsin Legislature: 6.03](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/6/I/03)** > > The Electors Look for: “6.10  Elector residence. Residence as a qualification for voting shall be governed by the following standards:” ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/35 "2017-01-25T01:24:13Z")
> [@Salvor](#): > > Getting people to move is really hard to do… but what about something else. What about them just “saying” they moved to some friends or relatives address that lives out in the conservative districts, when in fact they still live in their normal blue district. Is it illegal to change your residence to another persons house? They need not be the owner to claim they reside their as long as the owner consents? If republicans want to cheat with district drawing and that is considered legal, then as long as what I mentioned is legal as well… > > well, sauce for the goose Aside from the illegality of your suggestion, are you under the impression that the Republicans are the only ones that gerrymander districts? Or are you just mad because you think they do it better than your side? ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/36 "2017-01-25T01:29:31Z")
Whatever they do, please start spreading the word that the preferred pronunciation of gerrymander is with a hard G, not like a j. The former Massachusetts Governor and VPOTUS pronounced it Gerry, not Jerry. This from a native of the gerrymander’s right talon (band name!) and an alumnus of the Elbridge Gerry Elementary School, still going strong, since 1908 (the school, not me). Gerrymander here: [https://www1.udel.edu/johnmack/research/gerrymandering.pdf](https://www1.udel.edu/johnmack/research/gerrymandering.pdf) full frontal view here (lower right): [http://www.marbleheadschools.org/coffin-gerry](http://www.marbleheadschools.org/coffin-gerry) (of the school, not me) ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/37 "2017-01-25T01:38:26Z")
And I just found this Youtube of CSPAN on the subject: > **[The History of Gerrymandering](https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4505761%2Fhistory-gerrymandering)** > > The History of Gerrymandering ---
**Author:** ![Olfatbut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a183cd/32.png) [@Olfatbut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olfatbut)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/38 "2017-01-25T02:02:16Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well you’re basically saying almost the exact same thing as the OP which was apparently offered in all seriousness Hey man, Trump is president. There are no bad ideas. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/39 "2017-04-11T12:28:07Z")
One has to define what, exactly, is an ideal congressional voting district? If one says that such district should contain a percentage of each racial background as is found in the entire state? I suspect that in most cases the resultant congressperson would be a white person, in almost every congressional district. the courts seem to be ruling that district drawing that uses race as a factor is illegal. Drawing lines using party affiliation still seems to be allowed. So, in states where Republicans control the redrawing, the net result will likely be that most of the congresspeople will be white Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596/40 "2017-04-11T13:01:30Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > One has to define what, exactly, is an ideal congressional voting district? I’d go with some measure of overall compactness. Best, IMHO, but undoubtedly too complicated to get traction: within the boundary conditions of equal population and not breaking up Census blocks, take the center of population of each proposed district, and sum the squares of the distances from each person’s residence to the center of their district. The map with the lowest sum wins. (Yeah, this is over-the-top geekiness. This might have a chance in a nation where everyone was a mathematician, and nobody was a carpenter’s wife.) Good enough, and a hell of a lot simpler: same boundary conditions, but the map with the shortest total district perimeters wins. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-fix-gerrymandering-in-2018/777596.md?page=3)