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Monday November 11, 2013

Monday November 11, 2013. OBJ: SWBAT understand redistricting, and the effect that Gerrymandering can have on an election. Drill: What is being represented here? What does this say about redistricting. HW: Review Questons. Census As A Tool For Change.

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Monday November 11, 2013

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  1. Monday November 11, 2013 • OBJ: SWBAT understand redistricting, and the effect that Gerrymandering can have on an election. • Drill: What is being represented here? What does this say about redistricting. • HW: Review Questons

  2. Census As A Tool For Change • Charles Hirschman, scholar of the concept of race, studied drastic and seemingly random changes to the population of Malaysia over. • By looking at the census he saw that as time passed the colonial census became predominantly racial and less concerned with indigenous religion • Race categories were did not always contain the same choices from census to census • They also included choices that were nothing more than geographic landmarks. This was all people can fall into some category and be administered more easily.

  3. Racial Quantification • Pre-Colonial rulers did take a census but only for military and tax purposes. • The colonial census used the data to administer social services and to enforce a racial hierarchy • Habits were marked and mapped so the people could be ruled from above. • They of course ran into problems when their definition of race was at odds with the definition of race that had been formed over time by the people themselves, not from outsiders.

  4. Gerrymandering • Modern states use data much like colonial powers to administer regions that are not homogenous • Gerrymandering is when borders of a district are manipulated to form a political advantage. • Democracies that use the first past the post system to elect a single candidate to represent a district are at a greater risk for gerrymandering. • Many countries avoid this problem by having only one district or by having district lines drawn by an independent commission

  5. Where Did You Get That Name? • The term Gerrymandering came from Elbridge Gerry, an American politician • The term was coined as a result of his creative district drawing in Massachusetts in order to give his party, the Jefferson Republican party a political advantage.

  6. Redistricting: The Basics • “Done every ten years as mandated by the U.S. Constitution to ensure fair and proper representation among the states in Congress, and to preserve the one voter-one vote fairness principle in the lower house of Congress and the state legislatures.” (http://www.fraudfactor.com/ffgerrymander.html)

  7. Basics of Gerrymandering:packing & cracking

  8. Redistricting: The Basics • “State Constitutions and/or Statutes specify additional, more detailed requirements for reapportionment and redistricting process, which are also supposed to preserve the fairness principle.” (http://www.fraudfactor.com/ffgerrymander.html)

  9. Redistricting: The Basic Criteria (http://elections.gmu.edu/enhancing.htm) • Contiguity • Compactness • Respect for Communities of Interest/Existing Political and Geographical Boundaries • Voting Rights Act • Competitiveness • Incumbent and Partisan Blind • Equal Population

  10. Gerrymandering • when someone in authority changes the borders of an area in order to increase the number of people within that area who will vote for a particular party or person (http://www.freesearch.co.uk/dictionary/gerrymandering)

  11. Gerrymandering • Apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one political party (American Government Freedom and Power, Brief Fourth Edition, Lowi and Ginsberg, Norton, NY, 1996: A33)

  12. Geographical Boundaries • Historical Example • Contemporary Example

  13. Historical Example • Massachusetts- 1812

  14. Contemporary Example • Texas- 2004

  15. 2000 US Presidential Election Results • Actual Electoral College Results • Altering Selected State Borders By County to produce a Gore Win • Altering Selected State Borders By County to produce a Bigger Bush Win

  16. US Electoral College • 48 States have “winner take all” system: whoever has the most votes in a state gets all of the electoral college votes • Each state’s electoral college votes is equal to their total numerical representation in Congress (House members plus 2 Senators)

  17. Actual Results: Bush 271, Gore 266 (one Gore DC elector did not vote)

  18. How Gore Wins: Altering State Borders • New Hampshire • West Virginia • Florida • Missouri • Nevada

  19. Actual New Hampshire

  20. Add Franklin County from Massachusetts

  21. A Different New Hampshire • 7,769 Net Shift of Votes to Gore • Gore now wins state by 558 votes • 4 Electoral votes go to Gore: New National Total: Gore 270, Bush 267

  22. Effect on Massachusetts • Gore still wins state by 730,216 net votes

  23. Actual West Virginia

  24. Give Away 14 counties to Virginia, 14 counties to Ohio, 1 to Kentucky & add 1 Pennsylvania county

  25. A Different West Virginia • 44,718 Net Shift of Votes to Gore • Gore now wins state by 3,740 votes • 5 Electoral votes go to Gore: New National Total: Gore 271, Bush 266

  26. Effect on Various States • Gore still wins Pennsylvania by 191,187 net votes • Bush still wins Kentucky by 233,541 net votes • Bush still wins Virginia by 240,862 net votes • Bush still wins Ohio by 188,648 net votes

  27. Actual Florida

  28. Give Away Escambia County to Alabama

  29. A Different Florida • 32,181 Net Shift of Votes to Gore • Gore now wins state by 31,644 votes • 25 Electoral Votes go to Gore: New National Total: Gore 291, Bush 246

  30. Effect on Alabama • Bush still wins Alabama by 280,743 votes

  31. Actual Missouri

  32. Give Away 11 counties to Arkansas and 1 county to Illinois

  33. A Different Missouri • 79,544 Net Shift Votes to Gore • Gore now wins state by 758 votes • 11 Electoral Votes go to Gore: New National Total: Gore 277, Bush 260

  34. Effect on Arkansas and Illinois • Bush still wins Arkansas by 119,218 votes • Gore still wins Illinois by 559,107 votes

  35. Actual Nevada

  36. California GivesAway 4 counties to Nevada

  37. A Different Nevada • 24,987 Net Shift Votes to Gore • Gore now wins state by 3,390 votes • 4 Electoral Votes go to Gore: New National Total: Gore 270, Bush 267

  38. Effect on California • Gore still wins state by 1,268,787 votes

  39. How Bush Wins Bigger: Altering State Borders • New Mexico • Wisconsin • Iowa • Oregon • Michigan

  40. Actual New Mexico

  41. Texas Gives Away1 county to New Mexico and New Mexico Gives Away 1 county to Texas

  42. A Different New Mexico • 447 Net Shift Votes to Bush • Bush now wins state by 81 votes • 5 Electoral Votes go to Bush: New National Total: Bush 276, Gore 262

  43. Effect on Texas • Bush still wins Texas by 1,365,446 votes

  44. Actual Wisconsin

  45. Add 3 Counties from Michigan and 2 Counties from Illinois

  46. A Different Wisconsin • 6,604 Net Shift Votes to Bush • Bush now wins state by 896 votes • 11 Electoral Votes go to Bush: New National Total: Bush 282, Gore 256

  47. Effect on Michigan and Illinois • Gore still wins Michigan by 220,511 votes • Gore still wins Illinois by 572,977 votes

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