Where the Action Is? State Legislatures

[AthenaAwakened]

 

[Rhea]

Can you give a bit of a summary for those of us who are bandwidth challenged and/or need a reason to click?

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Can you give a bit of a summary for those of us who are bandwidth challenged and/or need a reason to click?

While midterm coverage is largely focused on the parts of Congress that do very little, vital (and bizarre) midterm elections are going unexamined. State legislators pass a lot of bills, and some of that efficiency is thanks to a group called ALEC that writes legislation for them. It’s as shady as it sounds!

 

[Rhea]

Thanks - I agree. Sadly, I have not had an opportunity to vote for a non-Republican on a district level in many years.

 

[Bronzeage]

Can you give a bit of a summary for those of us who are bandwidth challenged and/or need a reason to click?

It was about 20 years ago, the GOP began a nationwide campaign to gain control of State Legislatures. After the 2000 and 2010 census, Republican majorities are responsible for gerrymandered Congressional districts which delivered the GOP majority in the House of Representatives.

Oliver's video is about State Legislatures and his contention it is in these bodies that all the real and sometimes funny governing work is done.

 

[dismal]

It's weird how scientists and statisticians keep saying that gerrymandering in the US has a small effect.

They should spend more time here to learn what's up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/opinion/sunday/its-the-geography-stupid.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/u...src=twr&abt=0002&abg=0&smid=tw-upshotnyt&_r=0

 

[Rhea]

Maybe it needs to be a federal issue, not a state issue. Districts have to meet minimum standards or prove why not. Like the law that put voting practices under federal scrutiny.

Minimum standards of area-to-perimeter ratio. Just for one. Federal oversight. Meet the minimum and you can do state's rights to your hearts content. But if you violate the minimum, the federal agency will evaluate and you'll have to have a damn good reason (like a mountain range or a river with no bridges) for violating it.

Or a minimum standard for the percent of legislators of a single party versus the registered voters of that party statewide - cannot deviate by more than 10 percentage points. If 50% of your state registered or voted in one party, then your legislature had better not be 80% of the other party. (That one's harder to make work though)