[EM] redistricting

[bql at bolson.org]

On Fri, 7 Jan 2005, Forest Simmons wrote:

> Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 15:07:16 -0800
> From: Mike <mrouse1 at mrouse.com>
> Subject: Re: [EM] Deterministic Districting
>
> Mike wrote ...
>
> Well, it's not really deterministic (in the sense that the results are
> repeatable), but one could could put the districting maps on the ballot
> along with the candidate. Each candidate could provide their own
> districting map (or use their party's map), and have the voters decide
> which one they liked the best. They could then use that map in the
> election to count the votes for various offices.
>
>
> Forest replies ...
>
> Yes, let the candidates (and any others who want to) submit their favorite 
> redistricting proposal, and then choose from among them, not by voting, but 
> by applying some objective standard of compactness ... minimal total number 
> of traffic lanes cut by the boundaries, minimal total boundary length in some 
> appropriate metric, minimal average distance between members of the same 
> district where the distance is some combination of cost, time, and taxicab 
> mileage, etc.
>
>
> Forest

This sounds like one of the parts of a classic set of problems in Computer 
Science that are like cryptography in that a solution is hard to find, but 
easy to verify.

So, in this sense, finding a redistricting is hard, but measuring various 
qualities of a proposed redistricting is easy. We push that work out to 
various interested parties, and get that work done "for free". Whoever 
comes up with the "fairest" plan gets some public notoriety, and gets 
their plan enacted. A good deal for all.

Brian Olson http://bolson.org/