U.S. Judges order redrawing of Michigan districts

[sggatecl]

U.S. judges order Michigan to revamp Republican-drawn districts in gerrymandering case

(Reuters) - A panel of federal judges on Thursday ordered Michigan?s Republican-controlled legislature to redraw nearly three dozen state and U.S. congressional districts, ruling that the existing lines illegally dilute the power of Democratic voters.

The decision gives lawmakers until Aug. 1 to approve new district maps, which would need to be signed by Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

If legislators fail to do so, or if the court finds the new district lines are similarly unconstitutional, the judges said they would draw the maps themselves. The redrawn districts would take effect in time for the 2020 elections.

The court also ordered Michigan to hold special state Senate elections next year, rather than in 2022 as scheduled, in any gerrymandered districts. The state?s 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are also up for election next year, and a majority of them could have new boundaries under the court?s ruling.

The decision is likely a boon for Democrats, who in 2018 failed to win a majority of the seats in the state House of Representatives, state Senate or the state?s U.S. congressional delegation despite winning the overall popular vote in all three cases.

 

[tinselwolverine]

U.S. judges order Michigan to revamp Republican-drawn districts in gerrymandering case

So?does this mean that Democrats are involved in gerrymandering TOO??

This is UNBELIEVABLE!

Nobody tell Bob?it will take away his favorite hobby.

That would be just cruel.

 

[Michchamp]

So?does this mean that Democrats are involved in gerrymandering TOO??

This is UNBELIEVABLE!

Nobody tell Bob?it will take away his favorite hobby.

That would be just cruel.

:hmm:

it says they were Republican drawn, and...

 

[tinselwolverine]

:hmm:

it says they were Republican drawn, and...

No shit.

I?m surprised SGG, who started this thread, didn?t say in the OP ?expecting Tinsel to come on this thread and opine that both parties do it??

 

[biggunsbob]

About time. Get rid of all gerrymandering!

 

[sggatecl]

No shit.

I?m surprised SGG, who started this thread, didn?t say in the OP ?expecting Tinsel to come on this thread and opine that both parties do it??

I would never steal the thunder from our resident enlightened centrist.

Also, when a similiar post comes across my feed with the political parties reversed, you can be sure I'll share it. I remember reading some fucky stuff happening in Maryland and New Mexico in favor of Democrats in the not so distant past, I may or may not have shared those.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I would never steal the thunder from our resident enlightened centrist.

That is very kind. And flattering.

That said, I would never be offended by you introducing and inviting me to comment on anything you may ever post as ?our resident enlightened? anything.

Like-who the fuck would?-It?s very flattering.

 

[TheVictors]

:hmm:

it says they were Republican drawn, and...

.....redrawn in crayon.

 

[byco42]

Michigan is shaped like a dam mitten. How else should the districts look?

 

[Michchamp]

Michigan is shaped like a dam mitten. How else should the districts look?

I don't know, and yes, you can certainly find examples of Democrats doing this*, but when one side consistently loses the popular vote on statewide & national bases and yet controls the legislature, it's clear there's a problem and also clear who's responsible for it.




*In Chicago, machine dems would redraw the ward maps, in order to punish progressive/reformist dems that challenged the machine... so basically the same thing as the state and national level with big business and billionaires gerrymandering the legislature to ensure they get their way despite this being a "democracy."

 

[Michchamp]

Me, a Centrist looking at the map, seeing consistent GOP control of the Michigan state legislature, while consistently losing the popular vote statewide: "DURRRRR PROBABLY BOTH SIDES DO THIS. LEAVE ME ALONE"

 

[tinselwolverine]

Me, a Centrist looking at the map, seeing consistent GOP control of the Michigan state legislature, while consistently losing the popular vote statewide: "DURRRRR PROBABLY BOTH SIDES DO THIS. LEAVE ME ALONE"

Well, there?s going to be a gerrymandered redistricting in the favor of Democrats, that?s what this lawsuit was about right?

In California, the state Democratic committee wakes up every morning, and think to themselves ?what can we do today to fuck over the five Republicans left in the state??

My guess is that?s what goes on in New York and New Jersey, too.

 

[byco42]

I don't know, and yes, you can certainly find examples of Democrats doing this*, but when one side consistently loses the popular vote on statewide & national bases and yet controls the legislature, it's clear there's a problem and also clear who's responsible for it.




*In Chicago, machine dems would redraw the ward maps, in order to punish progressive/reformist dems that challenged the machine... so basically the same thing as the state and national level with big business and billionaires gerrymandering the legislature to ensure they get their way despite this being a "democracy."

I like district 11. It folds in on itself. Looks like a Jackson Pollack painting.

 

[Gulo Blue]

Seems like I heard a story about an effort to be objective about districting where computers generated some large number of possible districts with the idea that you could measure how bad the gerrymandering was by seeing what percentile the results of the actual districts generated. For example (made up numbers), if the last election had 10 out of 13 districts to one party, you could then show that given the actual voting and 1,000,000 different random possible district maps, 95% of the possible district maps would have yielded fewer than 10 out of 13.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I like district 11. It folds in on itself. Looks like a Jackson Pollack painting.

After the Democratic Party of Michigan re-districts, it will look more like a Picasso.

 

[Gulo Blue]

I think, in the case of North Carolina, they also showed that the computer didn't come up with any maps that yielded a more lopsided result than what actually happened.

 

[Michchamp]

Seems like I heard a story about an effort to be objective about districting where computers generated some large number of possible districts with the idea that you could measure how bad the gerrymandering was by seeing what percentile the results of the actual districts generated. For example (made up numbers), if the last election had 10 out of 13 districts to one party, you could then show that given the actual voting and 1,000,000 different random possible district maps, 95% of the possible district maps would have yielded fewer than 10 out of 13.

My local favorite is idiot Dan Crenshaw's in Texas, where they basically took the relatively liberal, densely populated (for Texas) enclave around Rice University just SW of downtown Houston, and drew it out far enough to include enough rednecks, and dumbass suburbanites to cancel out their vote.

 

[Michchamp]

After the Democratic Party of Michigan re-districts, it will look more like a Picasso.

Picasso was a much better artist and it's not even close.

 

[Gulo Blue]

My local favorite is idiot Dan Crenshaw's in Texas, where they basically took the relatively liberal, densely populated (for Texas) enclave around Rice University just SW of downtown Houston, and drew it out far enough to include enough rednecks, and dumbass suburbanites to cancel out their vote.

If there's close to balance, you just need to put all the polling locations in one end of the district or the other to flip the results.

 

[Michchamp]

If there's close to balance, you just need to put all the polling locations in one end of the district or the other to flip the results.

Guessing here in TX with GOP control over the state gov't, the polling locations tilt heavily to the rural areas where no one lives (ON TOP OF the gerrymandering, for a double whammy subversion of democracy).