Comments on: Electoral boundaries

By: stepheng

stepheng — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 22:32:08 +0000

Whoops, I made a stupid error: PA Repubs’ 49% of the vote got them 13/18 = 72% of the reps (i.e., I transposed the 13:5 breakdown previously). Still unbelievably awful tho’.

By: stepheng

stepheng — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 22:25:04 +0000

I’m surprised that DPF skips the punchline here: Pennylvania’s awful gerrymandering (since the post 2010 census redistricting) has ensured it grossly over-represents Republicans and under-represents Democrats.

Repubs won 15/18 PA congressional districts = 83% of the reps given only 49% of the vote!
Total/popular votes for Dem House candidates in PA = 2,702,901
Total/popular votes for Rep House candidates in PA = 2,627,031

PA is truly a travesty of democracy with a downright evil Republican establishment that should shame any principled conservative.

It’s the same story nationally (modulo recounts and provisionals still to be counted) although corresponding Democratic hackery elsewhere evens things up considerably:

total/popular votes for Democrat House candidates ~ 54 million
total/popular votes for Republicans House candidates ~ 53.5 million
Less than 50% vote share gets the Repubs at least 233 reps, i.e., at least 53% of the House.

By: kyotolaw

kyotolaw — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:20:29 +0000

Not that this excuses it, but the key may be in the details – Pennsylvania Federal congressional districts shown here probably have to follow Federal guidelines (although administered by state officials), while the Pennsylania constitution will govern the state senators and representatives.

The map and the text describe different things!

By: mikenmild

mikenmild — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:44:00 +0000

That’s not say that New Zealand hasn’t seen its share of scraps at the representation commission, especially in pre-MMP days, but nothing like the rorts practised as a matter of routine by the US parties.

By: pq

pq — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:01:54 +0000

Farrar you map is diffuse, misty, and fudge and probably about 50 kb,
need special glasses ,
Xavier map [3.08 pm ]is clear glare and scare

By: gump

gump — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 06:53:02 +0000

“We have the best government that money can buy.”

–Mark Twain

By: SPC

SPC — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 06:33:33 +0000

You should close off the poll on who will win the US election – lest newbies coming to the site inflate the reputation of regulars (for predicting such things) to an unnatural and unsustainable level.

By: scrubone

scrubone — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 03:37:43 +0000

Sort of like the rule that says a budget has to be passed every year – if you don’t want to follow the law what’s stopping you?

By: XavierG

XavierG — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 02:08:01 +0000

This is BY FAR the worst:

http://cookcountyteaparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/illinois-4th-district-map-Gerrymandering.jpg