scotus/voting rights act case

[Danzig]

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2...-case#comments


thoughts?



one thing i wish we could find a way to change-gerrymandering and it's effects. there has to be a better way to assign districts. the maps shouldn't be redrawn to give the party who is in power at the time of redistricting the ability to create an unfair advantage for that party.


look at some of the districk maps at this link, it's ridiculous!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering


in new york city:

http://www.actnowny.org/topic/latfor/

[GenuineRisk]

I fear they're going to overturn it, when in fact, Pennsylvania really needs to be added to the list. I'm so embarrassed to say that about my home state.

I read an interesting piece on the new movement to award electoral votes by district, rather than winner take all, and how it also can amount to disenfranchising voters, due to gerrymandering. Made me think of you and the interesting posts you put up on popular vote vs electoral college; here's the link:

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/11...-buckeye-baby/

It discusses the new Ohio plan, to split electoral votes. Interesting tidbit- more votes were cast for Democratic Congressional candidates that for GOP ones on Tuesday, but due to district gerrymandering, the Dems only picked up a handful of seats.

Mind you, I don't think gerrymandering is solely a GOP thing; it is an actual case of both sides do it- it's just why I would never support doling out electoral votes by district. Too easy to gerrymander so that the majority of a state could vote for one candidate, and the majority of the vote could go to the other.

[Danzig]

yeah, it is something both sides engage in. it's something i wish would be mandated to do by shape-quadrilaterals that grow or shrink based on population. none of these absurd shapes that look like someone used a paint by number to figure out.
as for the VRA, i find it hard to believe that only certain regions that once were using race to bar voting are the only ones who still may engage in that.
there was a claim made that it doesn't 'happen often' anymore. the people saying that are probably the same ones arguing thal altho voter fraud is 'rare' we should do something about it.
perhaps it's rare because of the VRA, not in spite of it? but i can certainly see why some are arguing to be removed from having to still jump thru those hoops. it's a blemish on those states-who wants to be forever known as a 'racist' state if they aren't?


as for the balloon juice article, i agree. his plan does stink to high heaven.