Technology key to fair redistricting

Thanks to institutionalized gerrymandering, our democracy has devolved to the point in which voters no longer select their politicians; rather, politicians select their voters. In today’s data-driven age, when it’s easier than ever to compile data from devices and social networks to pinpoint who lives where within a few meters, why haven’t we figured out a way to institutionalize an automated process for drawing electoral district boundaries?

In the meantime, optimization software has already been developed, with the capability to draw district boundaries, even while respecting as best as it can local boundaries defined by townships, cities, counties, etc. (Think of it as a “snapto-grid” function for the electoral map.) It does this through an algorithm whose logic can be made accessible to the public, so as to prevent any attempt at quietly hijacking the procedural steps for any one entity’s benefit.

I propose we banish all factors that have traditionally been used to administer electoral district boundaries (yes, this does include minority and other demographically defined districts), and replace it with a computer process that is simple to understand and administer.

It will save lots of money, and it will eliminate the human and special-interest element altogether from this mapmaking equation. Plus, the maps will be prettier and more logical. Columbus