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Created April 14, 2013 21:40
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Legislative redistricting idea. What if legislative redistricting were performed by computer algorithm based on constitutional parameters (e.g. population per area, etc.)? Would this make a better democracy?
(A) Assumptions:
(1) Certain data sources exist which are objective: popuplation, jurisdictional land area.
(2) An objectively drawn, impartial legislative boundary should cover either some specified population or land area with the smallest surface area (measured by the length of its boundary).
(3) The algorithm has a starting number of representatives in the body being evaluated.
(4) In the case of the Senate, for example, borders should be drawn according to land area, distributing representation equally per acre of land in the state across a smaller elected body. This is consistent with the original concept of the Senate.
(5) For the House of Representatives, borders should be drawn according to population, allocating representation equally across the pool of citizens to a larger elected body.
(B) Land-Area-based Algorithm:
(1) Draw the state map.
(2) Draw a 2D grid over the map.
(3) Trim boundaries of grid with borders of state map to create 2D polygons.
(4) Adjust grid and repeat #3 until maximum, equal area with minimal average circumference is found. This represents equal land-based distribution.
(C) Population-based Algorithm:
(1) Start wth the land-area map from (B).
(2) Map population data by location to the map. For each (x,y) location on the map, a corresponding z-axis data point representing population will be added.
(3) Scan the map, distorting the 2D coordinate system much like a marble on a stretched fabric (or gravity in space-time). This will "draw-in" the straight 2D grid lines, forming curved lines. It will transform the map from land-area to population-area.
(4) The grid lines represent district boundaries.
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x684867 commented Apr 14, 2013

Afterthought. This would never work unless it were implemented within a constitution. Political overrides would be too tempting.

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