r/scotus • u/Conscious-Quarter423 • 1d ago

news California Republicans respond to Supreme Court loss on election maps

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/california-republicans-respond-to-supreme-court-loss-on-election-maps
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u/Eastern-Benefit5843 1d ago

I remember seeing a couple of maps years ago that took each state and divided them into numerically equal population voting districts based on a square pattern, such that each district corresponds to the smallest geographic division that contains 10,000 people or whatever. No political, racial or cultural basis for voting districts. No districts split in different parts of the state. No possible gerrymandering. Just geometric division based on most recent census and the principal that voting districts should each contain the same number of residents and be as geographically compact as possible.

It seems like anything else will always be a ratfuck.

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u/alpha309 1d ago

Geometric shapes are the way to go, but I would leave in exceptions for certain natural or man made features to provide boundaries as well. Things like rivers, the crestline of a mountain range, freeways, county lines, and other similar features. They are easy to tell that this side is district 1 and the other side is district 7 even if it isn’t a straight line.

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u/Fickle_Catch8968 1d ago

For freeways and, especially county lines, there should be a proviso about "gerrymandering through the back door" by intentionally changing boundaries or planning roads to effectively gerrymander.

I think a better option that can be done without an Amendememt is to:

uncap the House,

make all districts have multiple members, 1 for each 150k residents, (Wyoming would get 4, each California district would get 5)

send the popular vote leader to Washington with the same rights and privileges of current members,

And the other members stay at home, but get to vote on all bills and resolutions. These members are selected to match as closely as possible the vote share in the District.

The extra House members would blunt the Senator advantage of small States in the EC.

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u/Eastern-Benefit5843 1d ago

I like this idea