Basic concepts in Electoral geography - different perspective PDF

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ElectoralElectoral GeographyGeography is aboutis about.. ....• The Geography of Voting - The spatial pattern of votes - The sppatial distribution of voter turnout - Location of/access to polling places - Location ofLocation of votingvoting resourcesresources• Temporal factors - VotingVoting hourshou...

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ElectoralGeographyis about . . . • TheGeographyofVoting – Thespatialpatternofvotes – Thespatialdistributionofvoterturnout – Locationof/accesstopollingplaces – Locationofvotingresources

• Temporalfactors Voting hours – Votinghours – Timezones – Votereporting V t ti

2008PresidentialElection: S State‐levelResults l lR l

2008ElectionResultsbyCounty

2008PresidentialElectionResultsinNewYorkState

RedStates&BlueStates • VernacularvotingregionscoinedbythelateTim Russertduringthe2000presidentialelection. • Thetermsrefertostateswhoseresidents predominantlyvoteforRepublicanandDemocratic presidentialcandidatesrespectively. • Thetermshavecometosignifystateswhosevoters tendtosupportconservativecandidates/causes versusthosewhosupportliberalonesrespectively.

CaliforniaProposition 8 (2008) • Formally,theCaliforniaMarriageProtectionAct • Theproposal:AddanewprovisiontotheCalifornia Constitutionstating“onlymarriagebetweenaman andawomanisvalidorrecognizedinCalifornia.” • Results: – – – –

Yes:52.24% No:47.76% Totalvotes:13,743,117 Percentvoterturnout:79.42%

VotingonCaliforniaProposition 8

Votingmachinescanbespatiallyallocatedinsucha wayastoencouragelonglinesinsomedistrictson electionday,andshortlineselsewhere.Thelonger theline,thegreaterthelikelihoodthatvoterswill b becomefrustratedandleavebeforevoting. f d dl b f i Pollingplacescanbeconvenientlylocatedwithin Polling places can be conveniently located within districtsorinconvenientlylocated,thereby respectivelyencouragingordiscouragingvoter turnout.

TimeZonesoftheUnitedStates

TimeGeographyandVoting Pollsopenandcloseatdifferenttimesindifferentstates, affectingeaseofaccesstopolls. Partsofsomestatesareindifferenttimezones,sopollscan openandcloseatdifferenttimesinthesamestate. ForPresidentialelections,thereisno federallawthat mandatescommonpollopeningsandclosings,orthatrestricts thereportingofresultsuntilallvotesarecast.Asaresult, media“calltheelection”(announcethewinner)beforepolls haveclosedinmanystates, possiblyaffectingvoterturnout.

TheGeography of Representation • Apportionment Apportionment–allocation allocationofseatstocivil of seats to civil divisionscommensuratetopopulation. Districting thedrawingofvoterdistrict the drawing of voter district • Districting– boundariestoreflectapportionment • Reapportionment– i the h re‐allocationofseats ll i f followingacensus. • Redistricting– theredrawingofvoterdistrict boundariesfollowingreapportionment.

Apportionmentistheallocationofseatsina representativegovernmentalbodybased t ti t l b d b d on populationand/orconceptsofequality. TheHouseofRepresentativesModel: allocationofseatstoCongressionalDistricts ll ti f t t C i l Di t i t drawnsoastocontainroughlythesame numberofresidents. b f id t TheSenateModel: Th S t M d l allocationofseatstocivil ll ti f t t i il divisionsbasedonthenotionthattheyare equalregardlessoftheirpopulations. l dl f th i l ti

VoterDistrictBoundaries TheLaw:Oneperson,onevote(equal representation for all) representationforall) M k th t di dividesanarea id TheChallenge:Makeamapthat intovoterdistrictscontainingroughlythesame number of people (Examples: U S Congressional numberofpeople.(Examples:U.S.Congressional Districts,N.Y.StateAssemblyDistricts;NewYorkCity CouncilDistricts.

TheSteps:(1)Collectaccuratecensusdata.(2)Use thedatatocreatevoterdistrictsthatcomplywiththe law.

ThreeApproachestoVoterDistrictDesign [60%ofregisteredvotersarePlums,40%areOranges]

(a)Dilution– Orangesarespreadoutsoastobea minorityineachdistrict. (b)Proportional– Orangesawardedamajorityinone district,givingthemroughlyproportionalrepresentation. (c ) Packing – Plumsareconcentratedinonedistrict, (c)Packing Plums are concentrated in one district, givingOrangesamajorityintheothertwo.

Gerrymandering isthe purposefuldrawing of votingdistrictboundariesforpartisanbenefit. NamedafterElbridgeGerry‐‐ signerofthe Declaration of Independence; Governor of DeclarationofIndependence;Governorof Massachusetts,1812;Vice‐Presidentofthe United States 1813‐14 UnitedStates,1813 14. Originallyappliedtoanoddlyshapedvoting Originally applied to an oddly shaped voting districtcreatedin1812tohelpelecta candidate from Gerry’sspoliticalparty. candidatefromGerry political party

1812PoliticalCartoonsatirizingtheshapeofa votingdistrictinEssexCounty, i di i i MA

Gerr mandering as Social Engineering GerrymanderingasSocialEngineering Supposeagovernmentalunitcomplieswiththelaw Suppose a governmental unit complies with the law andendsupwithelectedrepresentativeswho,toa significantextent,areraciallyorethnicallydifferent thanthepeopletheyrepresent.Ifso,doesthat violate“equalrepresentation”?Ifso,isitlegalto purposefullydesigndistrictsthatencourageelection ofrepresentativeswholooklikethepeoplethey represent? t? Can it therefore be legal to gerrymander? Canitthereforebelegaltogerrymander?

4th CongressionalDistrict, Illinois

NorthCarolina’s12 th Congressional District...