Under legal pressure to address Wisconsin’s “Swiss cheese” and oddly shaped districts, the Legislature approved redrawn maps that promise to create a new dynamic in a state known for its pivotal role in national politics.
Wisconsin’s dinosaur-shaped legislative district could soon be history.
The curiously drawn district and other oddities associated with the state’s extreme gerrymandering would be erased in new voting maps passed this week by the Wisconsin Legislature.
A state Supreme Court decision finally forced Wisconsin Republicans to cede an advantage they enjoyed for more than a decade with maps that made the state one of the nation’s foremost examples of gerrymandering.
If we want to end gerrymandering but we consistently need districts to be redrawn due to population changes, why not inventovise the nominees to do the work for us?
Release the population data map. Whomever can create the required amount of districts, with the appropriate population with lines of the shortest length has their map used. After Avery census, where the data is release, set a deadline for a certain time, say 1 year, for submissions to be considered.
Honestly, seeking compactness/shortest lines can create gerrymandered districts too. It can result neighborhoods or population centers being split into multiple districts and having their power diluted.
Drawing convenient/straight boarders can have lasting negative impacts. Just ask the British.
The solution is… Complicated. David Wasserman did a great piece on this many years ago for 538. It’s worth a read
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/hating-gerrymandering-is-easy-fixing-it-is-harder/