State legislatures around the United States have been going through a redistricting process where they are updating the electoral boundaries that will impact future elections. Do you think the open source way could play a role in this process?
The goal of redistricting in the U.S. is to balance the number of people that each member of Congress represents. For example, if a state has 5 million people and 10 congressional districts, each district should have around 500,000 people in it, balancing the population to elected representation.
The redistricting process often occurs the year after new U.S. census data is released. States then redraw the boundaries of their districts in response to reported population changes. However, the redistricting process is highly political, and state legislatures are often accused of manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan districts, often known as gerrymandering.
Open thread
Could transparency, openness, and data-driven analysis create an outcome that is more fair for the people instead of the politicians? Would a more open process prevent gerrymandering or any political gain from this cat and mouse game?
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