Reading Questions 4.10 Reading Questions
1.
Some countries, like Canada, have outlawed gerrymandering and all redistricting is done by independent commissions. You can read more about this at Vox using this link: How Canada Ended Gerrymandering. 1 Should this be done in the United States, too? What are some barriers in place that may prevent such a change?
2.
Research the composition of independent redistricting commissions across different states. What differences can you find in the number of members on commissions, the types of people (such as citizens and/or politicians), and the number of votes needed to pass a map (and from whom)? What pros and cons exist in the different structures? Do you think it is possible for a redistricting commission to truly be "independent"?
3.
A related issue in redistricting is that of prison gerrymandering, which is the longstanding Census practice of counting people who are incarcerated as "residents" of the town of the prison facility as opposed to residents of the town in which they are from. Maryland and New York became the first two states to ban this practice and adjust their Census data in the 2011 redistricting cycle and a handful of states followed suit for the 2021 cycle. From a voting perspective, why is prison gerrymandering an issue? (What laws exist regarding felony disenfranchisement, the right of incarcerated people to vote?) Furthermore, why is prison gerrymandering a social justice issue?
4.
Thomas Hofeller was known as the mastermind behind Republican gerrymandering efforts for at least four decades. Following his death in 2018, his daughter publicly released his private computer files. Read the following 2019 article from The New Yorker 2 and answer the following questions: What tactics did Hofeller employ to maximize Republican representation? What aspects of his work were illegal? What is the connection between Hofeller's work and prison gerrymandering?
5.
Where people live and the evolution of neighborhoods in the United States are greatly impacted by the history of redlining and housing/zoning policies. Written by Richard Rothstein in 2017, The Color of Law covers the history of policies that have contributed to housing discrimination such as restrictive covenants, blockbusting, access to government loans, racial zoning, the Interstate Highway System, and the location of schools. Research redlining and some of these policies and answer the following questions: How have our neighborhoods become racially segregated? What is the history of housing discrimination in your own town? How does this relate to redistricting?
https://www.vox.com/2014/4/15/5604284/us-elections-are-rigged-but-canada-knows-how-to-fix-themwww.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-secret-files-of-the-master-of-modern-republican-gerrymandering