Until now, politicians had a monopoly on the data needed to draw district maps. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project’s data specialist Hannah Wheelen is helping to change that. Hannah oversees data collection for OpenPrecincts.org, our tool to let citizens talk back to redistricters. She’ll talk about our overall approach, especially our recent efforts in Virginia. We […]
On this morning with Michigan SoS Benson!
March 21st, 2019, 9:44am by Sam Wang
Looking forward to joining @MichSoS @JocelynBenson tomorrow on WJR-AM in Detroit. Tune in to hear about the future of redistricting in the Wolverine State! When: Thursday 9:45 amhttps://t.co/p6hqXlEG84https://t.co/IL6OEJWnBRhttps://t.co/V5PzjOGL4ehttps://t.co/ZOnXpP3kci — Sam Wang (@SamWangPhD) March 20, 2019 Tune in right this minute! Sorry, over now…fun and quick. However, you can still listen here. Michiganders, be on the […]
Tags: Redistricting
Princeton brief in Rucho v. Common Cause
March 8th, 2019, 5:26pm by Sam Wang
Wesley Pegden of Carnegie-Mellon University, Jonathan Rodden of Stanford University, and I joined forces on an amicus brief (PDF). We offered the court our views on the federal partisan gerrymandering case from North Carolina, Rucho v. Common Cause (this link goes to all the other briefs as well). We describe to the court how the various […]
Tags: Redistricting · Supreme Court
NJ Redistricting Forum at Princeton University – postponed to Tuesday February 26th
February 20th, 2019, 12:18pm by Sam Wang
The redistricting forum scheduled for tonight at Princeton University is postponed on account of weather. It’s now resecheduled for next Tuesday, February 26th. The location’s the same, Maeder Hall. Here’s the flyer. This is an event hosted by the League of Women Voters New Jersey and FairDistrictsNJ. It’s part of a series. See you next […]
Tags: Redistricting
Meet the Woo Students!
February 18th, 2019, 4:20pm by Sam Wang
In our recent report on Michigan’s new commission, the main movers were M.P.A. students of the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. Above, meet Tarrajna, Henri, and the rest and learn how they did it!
Tags: Redistricting
Laboratories of Democracy Reform: State Constitutions and Partisan Gerrymandering
February 15th, 2019, 10:46pm by Sam Wang
Uncertain about whether the Supreme Court will do anything about partisan gerrymandering? We have something for you. Rick Ober, Ben Williams, and I have completed a manuscript, “Laboratories of Democracy Reform: State Constitutions and Partisan Gerrymandering.” It’s available here on SSRN. In our article, we argue that partisan gerrymandering can be curtailed on a local […]
Tags: Redistricting · Supreme Court
On Michigan Radio
February 11th, 2019, 10:04pm by Sam Wang
Today I spoke with Cynthia Canty of Michigan Radio about the road ahead for the Michigan redistricting commission. Great conversation – take a listen!
Tags: Redistricting
A Commissioner’s Guide to Redistricting in Michigan
February 4th, 2019, 12:00pm by Sam Wang
Today we’re releasing a detailed report on Michigan’s new Independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commission! In November, Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to their state constitution to remove the power of the state legislature to draw legislative and Congressional district boundaries. The vote was a victory for those seeking to end gerrymandering, but it’s the only […]
Tags: Princeton · Redistricting
A Redistricting “Reform” Bill in Virginia Would Entrench Politicians Further
February 3rd, 2019, 2:20am by Sam Wang
No matter who is governor of Virginia by next week, Republicans have a problem: in 2021, Democrats may control redistricting. In response, Republicans have introduced ostensibly nonpartisan reform. Their “reform” is a hedge – one that weakens the ability of voters to remove legislators from office. The Virginia redistricting bill HJ615 removes oversight by the […]
Tags: Redistricting
The Electoral College: Origins, Consequences, and Flaws
January 27th, 2019, 11:14pm by Sam Wang
I have some thoughts on the Electoral College. I hope you don’t mind the Twitter format! You can also see a single-page version here thanks to ThreadReaderApp. Actually, no. For example, in 2016 the minimum number of jurisdictions needed to reach Hillary Clinton’s popular majority was 39 states plus DC. But let’s get serious. Let’s […]
Tags: President · U.S. Institutions
