[EM] District continuity preserving re-districting

[Dave Ketchum]

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 21:29:33 -0800 Ernest Prabhakar wrote:

> 
> 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.
> 

AND - "best" should be in the eye of the beholder - mot in the eye of the 
politician and vendor hiding behind "proprietary".

Note the noise that has developed over voting machinery.


> -- Ernie P.

-- 
  davek at clarityconnect.com    people.clarityconnect.com/webpages3/davek
  Dave Ketchum   108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708   607-687-5026
            Do to no one what you would not want done to you.
                  If you want peace, work for justice.