32 min listen
Independent commissions alone can't create fair maps
FromDemocracy Works
ratings:
Length:
45 minutes
Released:
Oct 11, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Gerrymandering is one of the topics we've discussed most on this show, with good reason. But those conversations mostly stopped at the solution of creating independent redistricting commissions to draw electoral maps, taking the process out of partisan-controlled state legislatures. While that's undeniably a good thing, this week's guest argues it's just one part of a bigger solution. An independent nonpartisan commission is not always going to create a nonpartisan map. Christopher Fowler is an associate professor of geography at Penn State and a member of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's Redistricting Advisory Council. His research examines the way our choices about geographic boundaries shape the outcomes we are able to observe. He examine neighborhoods, school catchment areas, electoral districts, metropolitan areas, and labor markets with a focus on how these units of observation reflect the distribution of populations in space. After the interview, Chris Beem and Candis Watts Smith discuss whether ideas like ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts can take hold in America's political landscape. Regular listeners of the show will not be surprised to hear that Chris is doubtful, while Candis is optimistic.Additional InformationFowler's Monkey Cage article on redistrictingPennsylvania Redistricting Advisory CouncilRelated EpisodesExtreme maps, extreme politicsOne state's fight for fair maps
Released:
Oct 11, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
It’s good to be counted: The next census is just around the corner 2020, and the U.S. Census Bureau is already hard at work on preparing to count the more than 325 million people in the United States. The census is one of the few democratic norms that’s required by the Constitution, and the data collected has wide-ranging uses. The … Continue reading It’s good to be counted → by Democracy Works