Moon Duchin : Gerrymandering is generally a blanket term for abuses in redistricting. Moon Duchin. 120 Science Drive 117 Physics Building Campus Box 90320 Durham, NC 27708-0320 phone: 919.660.2800 fax: 919.660.2821 dept@math.duke.edu The same tools that produce drastically gerrymandered maps can be used to draw fair maps. But race … This note explores some of its mathematical properties in light of the fact that it reduces to a straight proportional … 01 November 2018. Ideally, mathematical metrics for districting would take these and other factors, including geometric ones, into account. "We translate math into law, and law into math,” it humbly boasts. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently deliberating over whether a proposed mathematical formula should be used to detect unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. A new criterion, the efficiency gap, measures partisan asymmetry based on a formula that counts the two-party difference in “wasted votes” to see whether one party has rigged an advantage for itself. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project is a "nonpartisan" organization that fights "partisan gerrymandering". The Ohio State math professor has dipped into the world of politics in a paper (published in The American Mathematical Monthly) that examines a mathematical formula being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court to detect partisan gerrymandering: The efficiency gap measures the number of “wasted votes” in an election in districts. The Ohio State math professor has dipped into the world of politics in a paper (published in The American Mathematical Monthly) that examines a mathematical formula being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court to detect partisan gerrymandering: The efficiency gap measures the number of “wasted votes” in an election in districts. August 7, 2017. G = gP/A. Can Math Help Detect Gerrymandering? That advantage, measured by a formula designed to detect potential gerrymandering, allowed Republicans to hold decade-long majorities in some congressional delegations or statehouses even as Democrats in those states won top-of-the-ticket races for president or statewide offices. Can Math Help Detect Gerrymandering? Erica Klarreich. A quantitative measure of the effect of gerrymandering is the efficiency gap, computed from the difference in the wasted votes for two different political parties summed over all the districts. When the parties win district elections in rough proportion to their electoral popularity, the efficiency gap is near zero. This week the Supreme Court heard a case about gerrymandering in Wisconsin, and mathematicians have … But the size of the likely Democratic gains remains uncertain, partly because the formula has never been put to a test. The Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group ( MGGG), founded by Prof. Duchin, has a lot of resources relating to the math behind gerrymandering, including fun interactive web applets to let you explore the concepts involved. This webinar, titled Gerrymandering, … Onscreen : Can math help detect gerrymandering? Our method gives a way around this problem uses Markov Chains to demonstrate that the element That’s what happens when you run your math-to-law translator through partisan bias that believes all Republicans are either racist or enablers. The efficiency gap is a formula that tries to quantify gerrymandering by figuring out how many votes in a particular election are “wasted,” … 64, October 2017, p. 1020. doi: 10.1090/noti1573. 40% of the vote and 25% of the seats. Mathematics. There was a ton of information in the talks and subsequent discussions. The Wisconsin case before the Supreme Court claims to be about partisanship. The same tools that produce drastically gerrymandered maps can be used to draw fair maps. Gerrymandering v. Geometry. The manipulation may consist of "cracking" (diluting the voting power of the opposing party's … Math to the rescue. It measures how efficiently one party’s votes get used and how much the other party’s votes get wasted. A formula goes to court: Partisan gerrymandering and the efficiency gap. Situating redistricting as a problem in law, math and politics. The year 2020 will be remembered for its historic confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests and the presidential election. Math: It works! This week the Supreme Court heard a case about gerrymandering in Wisconsin, and mathematicians have been watching closely. Impartial math suggests several methods for … I was an expert witness in this case, presenting an analysis based on our joint work with Alan Frieze and Maria Chikina (discussed below). The efficiency gap is then calculated according to the formula depending on each party’s wasted votes. That’s what happens when you run your math-to-law translator through partisan bias that believes all Republicans are either racist or enablers. Recently, a proposal has been advanced to detect unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering with a simple formula called the efficiency gap. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled in the LWV vs PA General Assembly case. It measures how efficiently one party’s votes get used and how much the other party’s votes get wasted. In short: Republicans won more seats than would have been … Inspired, Duchin formed the Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group. Their program, which aims to train mathematicians in mapping and civil rights law so they can be expert witnesses in gerrymandering cases, was so flooded with applications—she expected dozens and got over 1,100—that Duchin is expanding the size. The gerrymandered district has been part of the US political landscape for two centuries. "Missouri's engaged in an experiment," said Sam Wang, director of the Princeton University Gerrymandering Project, which uses math to measure partisan advantages in redistricting. The Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group ( MGGG), founded by Prof. Duchin, has a lot of resources relating to the math behind gerrymandering, including fun interactive web applets to let you explore the concepts involved. The “efficiency gap” is one such mathematical formula. Most of the methods require some basic geometric statistics about the shapes, so it’s a good idea to calculate the perimeter and area of the district (which we have included in the data). But numbers are objective. Partisan gerrymandering has formed the basis of many court challenges to redistricting, including challenges in several states since the 2010 Census. Partisan gerrymandering may be challenged on two Constitutional grounds: equal protection and the "one person, one vote" principle, and First Amendment protection of speech. Gerrymandering How it works. Gerrymandering can lead to a scenario in which a majority of districts elect representatives from a certain political party even though a majority of voters favor the other party. Sims Supreme Court decision in 1964, establishing a rule of one man, one vote . Another means to reduce gerrymandering is to create objective, precise criteria to which any district map must comply. Courts in the United States, for instance, have ruled that congressional districts must be contiguous in order to be constitutional. Meeting: M. Duchin. It was an optimistic gathering of over 500 mathematicians, computer scientists, lawyers, policy makers, teachers, and interested people of all stripes. FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, supporters of Missouri's redistricting … The first question in the Wisconsin case is whether or not gerrymandering took place. The efficiency gap is now working its way towards a possible landmark case in the Supreme Court. Missouri turns to math formula to deter gerrymandering. April 4, 2017. UPDATE! Gerrymandering is when politicians manipulate voting district boundaries to favor one party over another. ‘Partisan’ Gerrymandering Is Still About Race. Surely a review of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project’s formulas ought to clarify exactly which form of New Math turns 40% into 25%. While a lot of groups claim to be non-partisan, the Princeton Gerrymandering Project calls itself "nonpartisan" more often than supermodels describe themselves as gorgeous. Stephanopoulos and McGhee then suggest a threshold over which Gerrymandering can be defined: if the efficiency gap is above 8 percent, a … The first thing we noticed was the difference between proportion of votes cast and the representation by seats. The Geometry of Redistricting Workshop. gerrymander moon duchin, for math 19 spring 2018. gerrymandering 101. congressional representation. The word “gerrymander” was coined in 1812 after Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry signed into law a salamander-shaped district. Americans across party lines strongly disapprove of gerrymandering, and rightly so. g: the district’s boundary length, minus natural boundaries (like coastlines and rivers) P: the district’s total perimeter. But the second part of Kennedy’s prediction has also come true. The “efficiency gap” is one such mathematical formula. 40% of the vote and 25% of the seats. congressional representation In general, proving that gerrymandering has occurred in a We show that in some cases, this formula will only flag bizarrely shaped districts as … A mission for us as math educators is to explore the mathematical concepts and analyze their application in various real-world contexts, leading our students toward grappling with the question: Now that we know what we know, what should we do? a formula that counts the two-party difference in “wasted votes” to see whether one party has rigged an advantage for itself. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project is a "nonpartisan" organization that fights "partisan gerrymandering". This example of reapportionment is actually done through a complex mathematical formula that ensures the most even distribution of House seats. "We translate math into law, and law into math,” it humbly boasts. The efficiency gap measurement aims to summarize the effect of gerrymandering by identifying all of the wasted votes in victory and defeat for both parties. G: gerrymandering score. Vol. “Missouri’s engaged in an experiment,” said Sam Wang, director of the Princeton University Gerrymandering Project, which uses math to measure partisan advantages in redistricting. View PDF/Print Mode. But the size of the likely Democratic gains remains uncertain, partly because the formula has never been put to a test. Missouri turns to math formula to deter gerrymandering. The New Front in the Gerrymandering Wars: Democracy vs. Surely a review of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project’s formulas ought to clarify exactly which form of New Math turns 40% into 25%. Gerrymandering is the process of drawing electoral districts with the goal of maximizing the number of districts where a majority of voters favor a certain political party. Math to the rescue But the second part of Kennedy’s prediction has also come true. It's Called Math All that packing and cracking comes up lacking once you apply a little efficiency gapping. Save this story for later. One thing you have to admire about gerrymandering: It’s got some wicked slang. Gerrymandering is, of course, the dark art of drawing a legislative map that favors your political party. Last week I was in Boston for the Geometry of Redistricting workshop. FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, supporters of Missouri's redistricting … While a lot of groups claim to be non-partisan, the Princeton Gerrymandering Project calls itself "nonpartisan" more often than supermodels describe themselves as gorgeous. Reapportionment is the process re-distributing seats in the House of Representatives, or other legislative body, according to the population in each state. But numbers are objective. A mission for us as math educators is to explore the mathematical concepts and analyze their application in various real-world contexts, leading our students toward grappling with the question: Now that we know what we know, what should we do? In 2005, the U.S. state of Ohio had a ballot measure to create an independent commission whose first priority was competitive districts, a sort of "reverse gerrymander". applied math mathematics podcast All topics. Using Mathematics to Combat Gerrymandering. But the size of the likely Democratic gains remains uncertain, partly because the formula has never been put to a test. The first question in the Wisconsin case is whether or not gerrymandering took place. Gerrymandering math. (Related interactive and … "Missouri's engaged in an experiment," said Sam Wang, director of the Princeton University Gerrymandering Project, which uses math to measure partisan advantages in redistricting. A complex mathematical formula was to be used to determine the competitiveness of a district. Using Mathematics to Combat Gerrymandering. A better way to fix gerrymandering: math. In representative democracies, gerrymandering (/ ˈ dʒ ɛ r i m æ n d ər ɪ ŋ /, originally / ˈ ɡ ɛr i m æ n d ər ɪ ŋ /) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent of creating undue advantage for a party, group, or socio-economic class within the constituency. "We translate math into law, and law into math,” it humbly boasts. But the size of the likely Democratic gains remains uncertain, partly because the formula has never been put to a test. The mathematics of gerrymandering is surprisingly rich, and computing power is arguably just catching up with the scale and complexity of the redistricting problem. Contributing Correspondent. With the pen, comes the power. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project is a "nonpartisan" organization that fights "partisan gerrymandering". By Chris Dunker, Lincoln Journal Star Dec. 12, 2019 In a 5-4 decision earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court said determining if congressional or legislative districts had been gerrymandered along party lines was beyond the federal court's authority. Math Sophisticated computer modeling has taken district manipulation to new extremes. Moon Duchin, the mathematician called upon by Pennsylvania’s governor to aid in drawing up nonpartisan Congressional district maps, will share how she uses mathematical modelling to assess the fairness of district lines when she delivers UNC Asheville’s 2020 Parsons Lecture via Zoom, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. It is a mathematical formula known as the "efficiency gap," a measurement of vote distribution developed by Nicholas Stephanopoulos, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School, and Eric McGhee, a research fellow at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Simplistically, the ratio of a district’s perimeter to its area would let you know how gerrymandered the district is. Basics. While a lot of groups claim to be non-partisan, the Princeton Gerrymandering Project calls itself "nonpartisan" more often than supermodels describe themselves as gorgeous. Notices of the American Mathematical Society. We then looked at recent results of gerrymandering in the House of Representatives. A federal court recently rejected a legislative redistricting plan in part because its efficiency gap was much higher than that of other plans. I don’t suggest that compactness is the end-all to measure whether gerrymandering exists. Notes on Math and Gerrymandering. In November a federal court relied in part on that formula to determine that Republicans had gerrymandered Wisconsin. "Missouri's engaged in an experiment," said Sam Wang, director of the Princeton University Gerrymandering Project, which uses math to measure partisan advantages in redistricting. 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