An Impossible Dream of Redistricting

kroenung58

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Wednesday February 16, 2011 · 6:36 PM PST

2011/02/16 · 18:36

As microscopically-remote as this may seem, would it even work if enacted?

Brief and to the point, as all 'oops-there-goes-my-Kos-virginity' diaries should be:

If all districts were to be redrawn so that the overriding factor was party balance rather than contiguous boundaries (as many districts as close to parity in a state as possible), what do you think the result might be?

Communication and transportation have advanced to the point where completely compact districts are not as necessary as before. I contend that if each district was an even split between Dem, GOP, and Indy, actual ideas might have a better chance of influencing elections, money would flow a bit more evenly (donors having to hedge their bets without "safe" districts for incumbents), and third parties might have a better chance of penetrating.

This would require nonpartisan bean-counter commissions to ensure fair apportionment, of course, and the parties would loathe it with a white-hot passion, but I can dream, can't I?

Assuming a miracle transpired and this came to pass, would it work? What might be the unintended consequences? How might such a system be gamed by pols?

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