2006.06.28
Let’s Redistrict!
Today the SCOTUS determined that it wasn’t illegal for Texas Republicans to redraw district lines to favor Republicans. So now I think we should redraw all the district lines in every state of the nation to favor the dominant party in that state. Screw the other party.
I’m sure this will cause some anxiety, but pulling from sources (this list showing which party “owns” a particular state legislator and this site which shows how many Representatives each state gets) it looks like the Democrats could clean up house. Assuming it would be possible to completely shut out the other party the Dems would get 219 seats and the Republicans would get 212. There are five seats “open” from DC, Montana, and Nebraska, but even if they all went to the Republicans the Dems would have more.
Interesting to me as a mental exercise is that if state legislatures mandated where their electoral votes went then the Republicans would get 262 votes and the Dems 265. In this case the 11 electoral votes from DC, Montana and Nebraska would be key. Fortunately for both parties this scenario would never happen without being ruled unConstitutional.
I know these are not going to happen. I think it would be far more interesting if just California, with 53 members in the House, were to be redistricted to favor the Democrats. This would more than offset what happened in Texas and, thanks to the Republican’s gerrymandering, would be completely legal. Currently the Dems have 24 Representatives while the Republicans have 20 (source). I’m sure with some canny redistricting that could be changed to a 30-14 difference or more.
Let’s redistrict! It’ll be fun!
PS: For the record I think the SCOTUS decision (without having read it yet) is bunk. Texas should have never been allowed to do what it did until the next Census as mandated by current law.
Categorized: grrr political thoughts
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