MrGrumpyDownvote
29133
1273
98
Gerrymandering is one practice we need to get people upset about
Mar 22, 2016 12:08 AM
MrGrumpyDownvote
29133
1273
98
Gerrymandering is one practice we need to get people upset about
dannicusrex
I remember learning about this in AP Gov in hs, asking the teacher why this wasn't heavily contested, he shrugged. :(
ElFLacoGamer
pro Tetris strats
HebaruSan
BOTH the right and the middle represent inappropriate allocations of power. The system needs to carry the 60/40 through to policy.
tralchemist
Gerrymandering, the electoral college, winner-takes-all voting system. These are all bad things that we should reform...
EverydayIdleness
Doesn't matter if you're upset. The people profiting are the only ones who can change it, so they won't.
ixex
That's not necessarily true. Notice that if you change 3 boxes from red to blue in the picture, red is no longer able to get a majority.
IKnowWhereSydBarrettLived
Ask the Tories about Gerrymandering in Westminster.
boobcat
A 2 Party System is only a teeny weeny insy bitsy more democratic that a 1 Party System.
TheWeazle
Especially when the same special interests back representatives of both parties.
ObiWankChernobyl
Lol. Americans still think they live in a democracy. Sham democracy and indoctrination at its finest
iamjustthisguy
How politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their politicians.
ExplainThisJoke
Interesting choice of colors
MrSebi
The election is something to be won, like a game. The opinion of the people isn't important, it's just another statistic to be manipulated.
boobcat
Once you go Proportional Representation you never go back
FukinSLAYYYYYER
Goddamnit not again Gerry
TheRealPrimeRib
It's Larry now.
ilikehexagons
Don't know if you're just being funny, but it actually is named after Governor Elbridge Gerry, who redrew a district like a salamander.
asrai86
Gerry forgot to vote!
reddawn94
My ninth grade government said if I only remembered one thing, it's Gerrymandering. I only remember one thing... Gerrymandering.
nattyd20
Contact Tom Delay for more info
100mikes
Similarly college students have to vote at their permanent address...mid semester and far away, plus no holiday
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
In new Hampshire I registered the day of the election!
ChevN7
Ever heard of an absentee ballot? I had my primary ballot emailed to me and i just send it back with postage paid by the govt.
stoploggingmeoutImgurIfuckingswear
related: http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1191706/full_content
CatsAndUkes
What up Illinois
BlueStringsAttached
I live in a country with proportional representation in parliament.
RedIronCrown
Proportional representation solves this neatly. Introduces problems of its own, though.
flamingflamingo
It's very difficult to measure by proportion.
Morrigi
No, it really isn't.
RedIronCrown
Have you read about proportional representation? Allot seats based on % of popular vote rather than first-past-post in arbitrary divisions.
SomethingMoreOrLessOriginalThanOtherNames
435 seats. Democrats get 64 % of the vote? 435*0.64= 278.4 = 278 seats. Democrats are now represented with 63.9% of the seats. Easy & done.
CenterStall
And this, friends, is called Gerrymandering. And the above is why it is illegal.
Samammoth
Im so happy i get and totally understand these graphics
BearEnthusiast
"Gerrymandering" lets politicians change their districts into the one on the right so they can win
bntli
how about the voting system in general? first past the post leaves the minority with 0 representation.
LongoloidFartExplosion
Constant hung parliaments though.
Wretchedly
It's really not constant
bntli
ideally id like to see a system with no parties but ive done no research into the topic just idle speculation
Morrigi
George Washington was of the same opinion.
bntli
ah, my boy GW, im the same height as him, you know
mfgcolour
that's why the senate exists, too bad it's elected in the US
bntli
same applies. first past the post gives 100% of the vote to the winner. which is not an accurate representation of the vote.
bntli
we wouldnt have votes if every opinion had one unanimous majority and no conflicting options.
GaiusMariusTheGreat
Repeal the 17th!
paul289
YES! The Senate is meant to represent the states themselves, not the majority feeling of the populace! That is what the House is for.
TheKnowing1
Instant runoff election are desperately needed.
god0fthunder
What if instead of red and blue you used other colors? I'm on neither side, but I feel like this implies that red does this more than blue.
Morrigi
Republicans do it more, but when the Democrats do it, they go all-in and fucking break everything.
Cyclopentadien
That's because Republicans do it a lot more often than Democrats. Gerrymandering that is, I don't know about sex stuff.
cogs
The party in control in each State following census years does it.
ignoblepost
The one on the left is just as bad as the one on the right. It has 40% of the population with 0 representation.
god0fthunder
I thought it was just cropped funny. I only saw a third of it. Now I see the whole thing.
ignoblepost
It's ok, I often see this used to make the point you thought it was making. Nobody seems to notice how messed up the left one is.
god0fthunder
I'm not one of those. Haha. I really don't like either party at all.
god0fthunder
Like the guys from South Park, I dislike the left more.
papadezelda
As a Texan, we gerrymander Austin. Why? Because fuck those damn hipsters that's why.
Jbot300
Austin is the blueberry in the bowl of tomato soup that is Texas. Leave hipsters be. Keep Austin weird.
Morrigi
If they were just hipsters instead of self-righteous cunts they'd get a lot less hate.
papadezelda
It wasn't like that before. Use to just be hippie cool people. It's a new breed who are pretentious assholes.
scottynoface
This is reason #392 for why the presidential election doesn't matter.
Larkos
He or she can still veto bills, control the cabinets, pick Supreme Court members, and broker treaties as our chief diplomat.
ModernVoodooApostasy
folks wouldn't steal 'em if they didn't matter
ampsych
Complete nonsense; theres no gerrymandering in Presidential vote, its simply state by state winner-take-all.
doublekross
The state votes are determined by district, not a popular vote of the entire state.
armeggedonCounselor
The presidential election matters for one very important reason: The president picks Supreme Court justices. With Scalia's recent death,
armeggedonCounselor
there is a very important vacancy on the bench. If the Republicans want to continue being obstructionist jerk-offs toward Obama's picks, we
armeggedonCounselor
have to pay way more attention to the presidential election. Because the last thing we want is Cruz nominating a fellow zealot to the bench.
scottynoface
I can't blame them for wanting to obstruct his nonsense. You can blame Obama for the success of Donald Trump ' s campaign.
Mylastusernameoffendedpeoplefeelingsmatter
and you think Obama is the one choosing and not the people pulling his strings? you're cute
bitterandcynical
There is about a 99.9% chance an Obama or any Democrat candidate pick would vote to overturn Citizens United. That's all the reason I need.
warslinger
...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA
warslinger
sry. i couldn't stop laughing at the idea that OBAMA of all establishment democrats would put a guy in who's against CU
bitterandcynical
Your ignorance is showing. Obama appointed Sotomayer who voted against CU.
wrenchbike
If you could have more than two parties...
Ihavewaytoomanyfavoritestosort
We can, they just don't get votes.
[deleted]
[deleted]
bntli
Are you advocating voter disenfranchisement?
Felman
Not really. the Conservatives in the UK got around 30% of the vote yet 50% of the seats. They don't even need to form a coalition.
tlazolteotl
Proportional representation yo
GreenFox
A two party system is a mathematical inevitability of "First Past the Post" systems. https://youtu.be/s7tWHJfhiyo
HPWombat
I would have posted this if you didn't. I learn so much from CGPGrey
thesolamnus
Multiple parties are even worse
Ssssssssssss
But we do: Get Republicans Elected Every November.
tusig1243
God thank you. Does. Everything have to be so black/white, left/right one/other in this kindergarten country of ours?
q00u
Can't in a first-past-the-post voting system. It will _always_ lead to two parties.
FunkyH
Hello from Australia where we have 2 major parties 2 minor parties and many independents in Parliament
entrylevelhipstergarbage
Hello from the UK, where 11 different parties have seats in government.
ixex
The UK does have regional parties, which are compatible with FPTP.
weslesley
No you dont. Look at belgium. Its a guckibg disgrace. You want better options, not more.
oskar12
you dont need more then two parties to give you the comfort of being able to contribute to the way the land of the free is being run
Babaaurhum
They actually use this in France to steal from the third party.
ModernVoodooApostasy
one drawback -- small parties are easier to buy
YourMemeSucksHarderThanaDyson
Average politicians would sell their grandmother for a dollar. It makes no difference how big the party is.
ModernVoodooApostasy
We do not disagree. Why else take the job?
ignoblepost
But arguably less effective at what they are bought to do.
ModernVoodooApostasy
Agreed, you're still unrepresented, though.
frondy
That would be a much stronger argument if the big parties weren't already bought
ModernVoodooApostasy
I'm just saying that the small parties in Euro parliaments aren't exactly models of efficiency.
5700
Communist swine!
armeggedonCounselor
We have a First Past The Post system. Inevitably, over time, we will always go down to two parties. What we need is a better voting system.
armeggedonCounselor
But it's never going to happen unless it builds from the people up to the rest of the government. And even then, it will be a fight.
Cyanide555
We have mmp. Not great. Kinda want stv instead
JayEnfield
I've recently gotten quite a boner for DPR voting.
bntli
what about no parties? people work together/against individual legislations on the merit of the idea alone
madetheaccountjustforyou
People get things done better in groups. That's why we have a government in the first place.
eggmuffin
Nice idea, but it won't happen. The second best idea is having more parties. Most civilized countries have closer to a dozen.
6Gawd
It would take soooo long to pass legislation that obviously shouldn't be looked over by the general public! Pshhh duh
VetVed
Yes because individual people are so good at evaluating the merit of ideas. Go Trump!
bntli
I meant individual representatives
HaniiPuppy
This is the basis of the US government, de-jure. Unfortunately, as people band together along lines of interest, belief, and views, ...
HaniiPuppy
... political parties are a hard fact that comes with Democracy on any level. The US's foundation that ignores parties doesn't get rid ...
HaniiPuppy
... of them, but just leaves it with none of the safeguards and regulations to guarantee true democracy that other countries have, with ...
HaniiPuppy
... regard to parties. A two-party system where you realistically can't vote for anyone but the two parties in power isn't a true democracy.
TheGuyThatHasAReferenceForEverything
But that would be like... the smart thing to do..
bntli
fuck, i hate smart things.
JahNoodles
Most of us do.
Sprudleif
You mean an actual democracy? Afraid it doesn't exist anymore
bntli
No I meant senators working together without partisan conflict
FlyMojo
I feel like we were warned about this.
VanillaKush
I couldn't hear him too well with those wooden teeth, though...
DrMurloc
It's almost as if Locke himself (the originator of the foundation of our gov.) outright said a 2 party democracy is an awful idea.
SkiMaskThePlumpGod
Well, we're here and I don't see any sensible solution. We are officially in a quandary.
zarchangeldroch
Term limits are a start. It will help the 2 parties evolve with times more quickly, and possibly, eventually, lead to something besides FPTP
Krympehl
There's like a CGP Grey video about this, or a couple... guess I gotta find y'all a link now.
SkiMaskThePlumpGod
1)The way I see it is we are probably never going to fix this problem. The people that have the power to create term limits,
Krympehl
Here's the link with informationalisms, specialy good if you think voting is dumb. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7679C7ACE93A5638
Schadenfreude8
I vote that you change the colors on this image, because both parties do this. If you're going to make an analogy, may as well lose the bias
Schadenfreude8
btw, change as in to be colors not red or blue.
ignoblepost
Neither division accurately represents the populace.
PartyMagician
I like how CGPGrey has yellow, purple and orange
ronin120
Republicans do it more at a 6:1 ratio: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/01/who-gerrymanders-more-democrats-or-republicans
Morrigi
Motherjones is a mouthpiece for the shitty part of the American left, and is in no way a reliable source for anything.
ronin120
3) https://www.quora.com/ has a good article on the subject , but the rest of the URL is really long.
Schadenfreude8
you can read mother jones and believe that if it helps you sleep at night. Looking at one election cycle does not a trend make.
ronin120
4) http://fusion.net/story/164880/florida-republicans-found-guilty-of-gerrymandering-as-many-as-22-voting-districts/
bntli
i didnt read that article, but im pretty okay with taking the word of a publication that has won multiple words for journalistic integrity
ronin120
2) Would you like other sources? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/opinion/sunday/the-great-gerrymander-of-2012.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
ronin120
5) http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/gerrymandering-used-both-parties-mastered-republicans
ronin120
1) Well since apportionment occurs every 10 years, this actually affects more than one election cycle.
Schadenfreude8
you do also realize that geography plays a huge role, yes? http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jowei/florida.pdf