There Is a Way to Stop Gerrymandering
Re “Crazy-Quilt Districts Make Your Vote Pointless,” Opinion, Oct. 31: The action of the U.S. Supreme Court in sending the Texas gerrymander case back to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals for reconsideration is a glimmer of hope for the return of self-government in America. Although the justices did not give reasons for their decision, it may be that the court is not comfortable with leaving in place the obviously partisan gerrymanders in Pennsylvania and Texas.
In the Pennsylvania case, the court cited the lack of a workable standard for judging whether a state had unconstitutionally deprived voters of their right to choose their representatives.
A workable and tested standard exists, one that satisfies the goals of traditional redistricting: compactness, contiguity and preservation of communities of interest. It has two parts: (1) The populations of all districts of a given kind in a state must be within 1% of the average of all districts of that kind. (2) The districts must be as geographically compact as possible.
A map drawn to this standard is unique for a given state. Politicians cannot manipulate it for partisan advantage, so gerrymandering is impossible. Adoption of this standard would restore fair voting.
George L. Clark Sr.
Manhattan Beach
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