Students Solved Gerrymandering For A Science Project. The Court Should Use Their Method In Alabama

[skews13]

Back in 2020, three middle school students from Eastern New York solved the issue of gerrymandering, and their team leader won a $10,000 STEM prize for it. Kai Vernooy, James Lian, and Arin Khare devised a method for determining the level of gerrymandering in a state, and then applied a mathematical algorithm to draw fair and balanced districts. Coincidentally, in this 2020 article from Forbes about their project, Alabama was used as an example.

Students Solved Gerrymandering For A Science Project. The Court Should Use Their Method In Alabama

UPDATE: In the comments, dr z kindly posted links to the students’ open source code, and to their original research paper. I’m posting links here to the research paper and infographic in case anyone who isn’t participating in the comments wants to read...

www.dailykos.com

 

[pknopp]

The two parties don't want solutions, they want power.

 

[$ecular#eckler]

Gerrymandering is a result of the founders and the society's inability to formulate and comprehend a better proportional representation scheme.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Gerrymandering is a result of the founders and the society's inability to formulate and comprehend a better proportional representation scheme.

Gerrymandering is a creation of the democrat party.

 

[1srelluc]

Daily Kos?

What does Mother Jones have to say about it? Maybe a counter-point by Brietbart is in order.

 

[$ecular#eckler]

Gerrymandering is a creation of the democrat party.

Think that up all by yourself?

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Think that up all by yourself?

Most democrats don't realize they are the party of gerrymandering

 

[Dekster]

The compactness test sounds all neutral but it is designed to make sure blue cities remain blue.

 

[candycorn]

If Gerrymandering teaches us anything it is that the current politicians care little about regional representation. The originating theory was that the congressional districts be geographically contiguous and both maps do that but how much sense does it make?

District 7 have a sliver of land in the middle of the state in one map. In another map, the 2nd district covers both borders at the state’s widest point. The map on the right makes more sense but lets get real.

Just have a lottery to award zip codes to each district by population. District one’s “borders” will be the zip codes that happen to land in the district as a result of the lottery. If The lawmakers/map drawers don’t care about regionally contiguous districts, why should we?

 

[Independent thinker]

Back in 2020, three middle school students from Eastern New York solved the issue of gerrymandering, and their team leader won a $10,000 STEM prize for it. Kai Vernooy, James Lian, and Arin Khare devised a method for determining the level of gerrymandering in a state, and then applied a mathematical algorithm to draw fair and balanced districts. Coincidentally, in this 2020 article from Forbes about their project, Alabama was used as an example.

Students Solved Gerrymandering For A Science Project. The Court Should Use Their Method In Alabama

UPDATE: In the comments, dr z kindly posted links to the students’ open source code, and to their original research paper. I’m posting links here to the research paper and infographic in case anyone who isn’t participating in the comments wants to read...

www.dailykos.com

LOL. Translation: When you want to do a study on something you just make it so the results come out the way you wanted them to.

 

[LeroyDumonde]

The compactness test sounds all neutral but it is designed to make sure blue cities remain blue.

There's simple reason why big cities are blue. When an area is psychologically overpopulated (see the Rat Utopia Experiment) social bonds break down. The only way to keep that area politically unified is through totalitarian government. Totalitarianism is central to the Democrat Party, thus big cities are blue.

 

[Dekster]

There's simple reason why big cities are blue. When an area is psychologically overpopulated (see the Rat Utopia Experiment) social bonds break down. The only way to keep that area politically unified is through totalitarian government. Totalitarianism is central to the Democrat Party, thus big cities are blue.

If the standard weren't compactness, they could start in the center of a blue city and carve it up in a starburst pattern. They think it is fine to carve up rural areas, just not cities.

 

[LeroyDumonde]

If Gerrymandering teaches us anything it is that the current politicians care little about regional representation. The originating theory was that the congressional districts be geographically contiguous and both maps do that but how much sense does it make?

View attachment 825693


District 7 have a sliver of land in the middle of the state in one map. In another map, the 2nd district covers both borders at the state’s widest point. The map on the right makes more sense but lets get real.

Just have a lottery to award zip codes to each district by population. District one’s “borders” will be the zip codes that happen to land in the district as a result of the lottery. If The lawmakers/map drawers don’t care about regionally contiguous districts, why should we?

Any idea what the population numbers for each of the team's districts are?

 

[candycorn]

Any idea what the population numbers for each of the team's districts are?

huh?

 

[LeroyDumonde]

huh?

My bad, I thought you spoke English.

 

[candycorn]

My bad, I thought you spoke English.

I do. In most of elections, however, there are no teams. Now, that is in the United States. I’m not sure what elections are like on your planet.

 

[LeroyDumonde]

I do. In most of elections, however, there are no teams. Now, that is in the United States. I’m not sure what elections are like on your planet.

I mean the team in the article that you posted.

 

[candycorn]

I mean the team in the article that you posted.

The “team” is the group of students.

 

[LeroyDumonde]

The “team” is the group of students.

I know that. I didn't ask you who they were.

 

[candycorn]

I know that. I didn't ask you who they were.

Okay lets look at what your question is again...

Any idea what the population numbers for each of the team's districts are?

You’re asking the population numbers of the congressional districts for where each of the kids on the teams live? I would imagine the kids live in different districts in some cases...

Sort of a weird question...

Anyway...I don’t know. Your point?