Pushbutton Gerrymanders? How Computing Has Changed Redistricting

Abstract

The authors analyze the impact of computers on redistricting in the US. Historical review & comparative analysis of 1991 & 2001 state redistricting supports the argument that claims of the corrupting power of computers are somewhat overblown, & the technology may actually benefit the drawing of more competitive districts. A historical narrative of governmental computer finds a parallel in the advancement of computer aided redistricting with decreased technology costs, advances in GIS software, census data tabulation & the advent of the Voting Rights Act. Measurement of the effect of computing on congressional redistricting evaluates competitiveness & compactness. Analysis of the data indicates that computers allow for the complex geographies of districts, making slicing off small pockets of desirable communities more difficult, but redistricters conservatively avoid drawing competitive districts. The authors conclude that computers don't gerrymander, people do, & that it is the redistricters that make the final decisions. Tables, Figures. J. Harwell