Posted on 08/26/2016 6:41:52 AM PDT by Taipei
Gerrymandering is something Democrats usually whine about. It’s easy for them to do with Republicans controlling an unprecedented amount of state legislatures and gubernatorial seats in modern history – these entities deciding how congressional districts are drawn after the U.S. census is completed every ten years. However, there are undoubtedly cases of gerrymandering taking place in Democrat-controlled states. Maryland is one such example and a law school student has taken their antics to court.
Steve Shapiro, an American University student, has challenged the districts drawn by former Governor Martin O’Malley and the blue legislature on first amendment grounds. The case he’s making is pretty profound – stating that Maryland didn’t gerrymander based on race, but on partisan affiliation. Shapiro and his lawyer argue Maryland was actually pretty transparent in their intentions to subjugate Republican voters.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
Interestingly enough, that gerrymandering resulted in me having the lone GOP congressman (Dr. Andy Harris) in Maryland. I live in Harford County (about 40 miles from Baltimore) and am represented by Harris whose district encompasses the entire eastern shore. Doesn’t make much sense.
Someone should put up a map of the district....it’s got like 40 angles on it.
Didn’t 10-term incumbent Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R) represent the panhandle for two decades? It looks like they threw in just enough of the DC government worshiping suburbs to flip his district.
You are correct. He served from 1993 to 2013. He is now 90 years old.
Maryland’s districts are about as nakedly partisan as they come. That’s why the 6th District was redrawn, so that the liberals in upper Montgomery County could outweigh the conservatives in Western Maryland and deprive them of representation. Ditto for the 8th District, where the conservatives of upper Frederick County and lower Carroll County are swamped by the liberals of lower Montgomery County.
I live at the confluence of the 2nd, 3rd, and 7th districts, where they flow side-by-side into a narrow funnel on their ways to and from the more heavily Democratic precincts on all sides. Truth be told, I don’t even know which district I’m in — not that it matters, since my vote is outweighed in any of them.
About a decade ago, Arizona voted to have a 5 person panel draw up new Congressional Districts. 2 Republicans, 2 democrats and 1 Independent. Unfortunately, the ‘Independent’ that Jan Brewer appointed was really a Democrat. The 3 Dems met behind closed doors (illegal), drew up new Districts (illegal) and voted for their new Districts which were then implemented. Brewer sued to overturn the new Districts and a Leftist judge ruled against her. So, in a state with an R Governor, and R Sec of State, an R Atty General and 2 Senators, the Dems took 5 of 9 Congressional seats. Democrats ALWAYS accuse Republicans of doing what they, the Dems, are really doing. Our Party is really late to the manipulation game. We MUST catch up if we are going to have any chance of saving this country.
It is weird, to say the least. Mine is the first district and I have the only GOP rep. The first district includes 10 of our state’s 23 counties. The other 13 counties are currently represented by seven different democrats.
At least the 1st. 5th, and 6th Districts look semi-contiguous. They each are mostly geographically compact, but then each has an extra bulge. The rest are contorted, without any rhyme or reason other than political expediency.
They are egregious examples of how the Democrat party is bound and determined to squash any real challenge.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
So you are saying the nine counties of the Eastern Shore, Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset, Dorchester, Queen Anne, Kent, Talbot, Cecil, and Caroline, plus Hartford County on the Western Shore comprise the 1st District? Only ONE district?
Not sure how to stop gerrymandering but one thing that would help would be to make it such that districts cannot cross a municipal or other governmental boundary.
Connie Morella was one of the few repubs in MD. They got rid of her by changing her district to include parts of both Montgomery and Prince Georges counties.
My folks were still alive then and snowbirds living in Apache Junction. They had been pretty satisfied with Arizona politics (at least compared to Washington politics) but were disgusted with the direction they headed.
Wow.
Isn’t there some legal standard that districts need to be at least somewhat geographically compact?
Well, I guess that’s what the court will decide in this case.
I think it would be nice to use computer technology, and draw districts that are as geographically compact as possible, and with districts being as equal in population as possible.
Computer tech would be perfect, but the Libs have written into the laws that districts must be drawn up to give minorities an advantage, so minorities will have representation. Not kidding. Allows the Libs to gerrymander to their heart’s content.
Yes, that’s mine. Stuck with this asininity for ages! Disgusting.
There is no ore egregious gerrymandering on the planet than my district. Seriously - 1 block width in some places?
You mean, “no obtuse angles”, or at least very few (to account for state boundaries).
That is the problem...allowing ridiculous obtuse angling in the geometry allows this kind of snaking.
That is correct, yes!
Bartlett also moved to a remote locale in neighboring West Virginia after the Dems stole his seat.
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