FairVote Chairman Krist Novoselic and Executive Director Rob Richie coauthored an op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this past Sunday that clearly and cogently lays out some of the major problems with gerrymandering as well as solutions to the problem. These solutions, including systems of shared representation, reflect FairVote’s belief that, as beneficial as independent commissions are, the true solution to gerrymandering can only come when states such as Wisconsin think outside the single member district box.

While obviously aimed at the citizens of Wisconsin, this editorial’s message extends far past the highlands of Wisconsin and to the mountains of Montana and the sea sides of Maine.  As evidenced by the feature on the op-ed in Monday’s edition of the Wall Street Journal, all states can benefit from the pair’s thoughtful analysis of the issue of gerrymandering.  Indeed, much of the problem of gerrymandering is inherent in the winner-take-all nature of the system itself. The single member district system creates a zero-sum incentive structure where, if someone benefits, someone else must lose.  One person’s fairness and equitability is always another person’s gerrymander.  While it will always be necessary to draw some sort of political boundaries, given the trouble creating districts causes, it would be beneficial to look into other methods of voting such as proportional voting in multi-member districts.

This system would enable fewer subdivisions and less of an opportunity for creative line drawing and more power for voters.      In the end, as the op-ed explains, the biggest problem with gerrymandering is that it gives special electoral privileges to a few for no other reason than the happenstance of location. While there is no perfect answer to these quandaries, citizens can empower themselves through online apps and staying informed about alternate methods of voting.  Indeed, country in general deserves a better and more equitable system of democratic government than it currently has.

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The 2010 redistricting marks the first time that a basic PC  will be able to make and compare  district maps. This article elaborates by suggesting  principles to encourage open participation. A big fucking deal.

There is an important way by which redistricting will be different next year than as it has occurred in the past. Technology has advanced to the point where anyone with a web browser will be able to draw maps of their communities – for those states where redistricting authorities must respect communities of interest – or even legal redistricting plans for their entire state.

This innovation will enable greater transparency and public participation in the process. No longer will the public, media, and courts be forced to accept whatever nightmare districts the politicians dream up as being the only ones that could have been drawn. If even a few people can draw redistricting plans for their state, as occurred during a 2009 Ohio Secretary of State redistricting competition, we will have an important yardstick to measure the politicians’ plans against. We will be able to debate the merits of different approaches to drawing districts, e.g., how much we might be willing to trade slightly less compact districts for those that are not biased against a racial group or a political party. And we will likely expose that the politicians’ maps are neither compact nor fair.

We have devised a set of principles for transparency and public participation in redistricting that are the minimum requirements to ensure the public is a full partner in the redistricting process. A number of stakeholder organizations have formally signed on to this statement:

Americans for Redistricting Reform, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, Campaign Legal Center, Center for Governmental Studies, Center for Voting and Democracy, Common Cause, Demos, and the League of Women Voters of the United States.

You can read more about this call for transparency and public participation in a Washington Post opinion-editorial authored by myself and my colleague Micah Altman.