2010 U.S. Census thread

[Mr. Matté]

(a fundamentally different system than most western democracies, where districts are logical and compact, for the most part)

Com'on, what's illogical about this?

[english si]

at least they are roughly equal - in the UK they aren't - and while some effort has been made to remove the inherent bias in the system towards Scotland, Wales and the urban bits of the North of England and the centres of big cities, it was still the case that the Conservatives got a larger percentage of the national vote in 2010 (36%) than Labour did in 2005 (35%) - Labour had a sizable majority in the House of Commons post 2005, the Tories couldn't get a majority due their safe seats being about 10% larger in size (there's other factors too, like turnout, not to mention votes that don't lead to a seat).

The rather random pattern in American seats is, to some extent, to group areas with similar demographics together so their Congressman can better represent most voters in their district as the seats are fairly 'safe'. In the UK, despite 'compact and logical' (though I'd argue that they aren't that logical in a lot of places because of the attempts to balance out size, but ignoring the fact that the North, Scotland and Wales still have smaller seats) seats with no attempts to gerrymander, we end up with not that many seats are going to swing and change party - perhaps as many as a quarter are up for grabs - mostly affluent areas of inner London, parts of outer London, commuter belt areas around larger cities, and some middle-sized towns.

Of course safe seats have real problems - you can put a stick of celery as a candidate for MP around here and they would get in if they had a blue (Tory) rosette. Same with Labour candidates in places like Glasgow (though you'd have to deep fry the celery first, or they'd run a mile from it ). That someone doesn't have to be good, just has to stand for the right party, to get in is a bad sign. Also, there's next to no debate in these areas as there's little point wasting energy.

[SP Cook]

I will try to relate the three 2010 redistricts to transportation policy.

West Virginia was unexpectedly easy.  The state is quite gerrymandered and the legislature carried over the current map, moving only one county, Mason, from the 2nd (Capito) to the 3rd (Rahall).  Rahall is the highest seniority minority member on Transportation (Capito is 9th among the Majority).  The unfinished part of US 35 is in Putnam and Mason, so it would now theoretically have 2 higher ranking Transportation members working on it.  Rahall is a congressman-for-life, and doesn't really need to pander, and, despite his status, has 100s of miles of unfinished projects already in his distict (King Coal, Coalfields Expressway, Tolsia Highway, WV 10).  Capito, who had to run uphill everytime, took an actual interest in 35, and will now probably turn her attention to several projects in the eastern panhandle, increasingly the locus of her district.

Kentucky had a mess.  While it did not lose a seat, its eastern Kentucky coalfields (90-10 democrat) bled population, as, to a lesser extent, did its democrat industrial core along the Ohio border, while its reflexivly 90-10 Republican rural non-coal mountains stayed even and its suburban and city areas grew.   One of the most powerful men in Washington, Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers was protected, but the district will be a battleground between 90-10 counties in both directions when he (he is 75) retires.  In all 400K Kentuckians were moved from one district to another.  Rogers has been a tireless worker for Appalachian transportation projects, but really does not pick up any area with any pending projects, other than Corridor Q and the etherial I-66.

Ohio lost two seats, the only state to do so.  Republican dominated, it adopted a convoluded map that, of course, protected the Speaker of the House.  As to transportation, OH-6 was made more safe for the GOP, and that has traditionally been a transportation oriented seat, covering the canalized Ohio and the Appalachian part of Ohio.

[agentsteel53]

meh.

fuck the census.

I distrust anyone who gives me credit just for existing.

[goobnav]

You want to talk about gerrymandered.  Look at the 12th district for NC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NC12_109.gif

It practically follows I-85, talk about off but on topic, they have been doing that for years.  The only way to have true representation is to get rid of the Banksters that are controlling our government, both Repub and Dem and, electing through paper ballot non corporate, lawyer or banker reps.  Limit terms of Congress Reps to 3 terms at any time, Senators to two terms at any time.  No career politicans.

[Stephane Dumas]

A bit off-topic, I spotted some interesting threads about the 2011 Canadian census
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=197671
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=197565