[EM] District continuity preserving re-districting

[Ernest Prabhakar]

On Mar 14, 2004, at 8:27 PM, Niemzinski at ecybermind.net wrote:

>  Quoting Ernest Prabhakar <drernie at mac.com>:
>
>> Using existing census data, one could trivially create open source
>> software that would suggest possible districts.  Anyone could submit
>> potential redistricting, and  and one could have a university collect
>> and publish the results based on objectively verifiable criteria.   I
>> suppose one could even add a third measure of 'minimal population
>> transfers' to reward proposals that minimized discontinuities, if the
>> first two weren't definitive enough.
>
> As far as I can see there is no advantage for open source over 
> propriety
> software here.  All we are interested in is the best legal 
> districting.  How it
> was obtained/calculated is of no interest to the public or the 
> government.
> Nevertheless, it may be usefull to have such open source software for
> experimentation.

The point is that rather than hiring a few elite groups to submit 
proposals (and thus risk conflicts of interest or collusion), one could 
make it easy for anyone to submit a proposal, and just have a 
centralized judging facility working on objective criteria.  Open 
source would enable wider participation, by reducing the barriers to 
entry.

-- Ernie P.
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