Gerrymandering

[Jolly_Penguin]

I have heard of Republicans gerrymandering to stack elections in their favour. Do Democrats in power do it too? How do people get away with it? There are no rules to control it? I have never heard of such a thing here in Ontario.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

Yes, both parties do it, but with the rise of computers it has become more damaging. Some states have non-partisan boards. Minnesota has a law that says if the two major parties don't agree the Supreme Court oversees a compromise between and equal number of dems and reps.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Minnesota has a law that says if the two major parties don't agree the Supreme Court oversees a compromise between and equal number of dems and reps.

Interesting that they enshrine the 2 party system into the law like that. If you are neither a Democrat nor Republican in Minnesota, you can't be on this board to decide the districting?

 

[laughing dog]

Minnesota has a law that says if the two major parties don't agree the Supreme Court oversees a compromise between and equal number of dems and reps.

Interesting that they enshrine the 2 party system into the law like that. If you are neither a Democrat nor Republican in Minnesota, you can't be on this board to decide the districting?

The board is usually compromised of former judges.

 

[prideandfall]

Do Democrats in power do it too?

yes... ish.
Democrats are also religious (everyone in the US is religious) but they're not religious the same way the republicans are religious.
similarly, dems use gerrymandering to a smaller extent, but not to the point where it's even a possible question about being a national issue.

How do people get away with it? There are no rules to control it?

there are two distinct concepts at work here:
redistrincting, and gerrymandering.

the former is an ostensibly feasible and warranted action that uses geographic data to draw district lines in such a way that people are better represented.
the latter is abusing that in order to steal elections, and people get away with it because they go "oh well it's a legit redistricting map, i don't know what your problem is" and in the US nothing happens in the political sphere unless you can produce concrete proof of criminal intent, even if it's so glaringly obvious a hamster could figure it out.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

Minnesota has a law that says if the two major parties don't agree the Supreme Court oversees a compromise between and equal number of dems and reps.

Interesting that they enshrine the 2 party system into the law like that. If you are neither a Democrat nor Republican in Minnesota, you can't be on this board to decide the districting?

LD is correct. I am wrong.