Reapportionment and Redistricting in the West

Reapportionment and Redistricting in the West
Author: Gary F. Moncrief
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2011-12-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0739167626

In Reapportionment and Redistricting in the West, Gary F. Moncrief brings together some of the best-known scholars in American state and electoral politics to explore the unique processes and problems of redistricting in the western United States. These political scientists examine the specific challenges facing western states in ensuring fair and balanced political representation. Western states tend to be geographically large and experiencing rapid population growth and the chapters in this enlightening volume discuss the changing demographics in western states, paying special attention to the rise in the Latino population and the effect this has had on reapportionment and redistricting. They describe the ways in which some of these states achieve redistricting through independent redistricting commissions—a process rarely found in other regions—and they provide policy prescriptions for the future.

Bushmanders and Bullwinkles

Bushmanders and Bullwinkles
Author: Mark Monmonier
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2001-04-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0226534251

For years Mark Monmonier, "a prose stylist of no mean ability or charm" according to the Washington Post, has delighted readers with his insightful understanding of cartography as an art and technology that is both deceptive and revealing. Now he turns his focus to the story of political cartography and the redrawing of congressional districts. His title Bushmanders and Bullwinkles combines gerrymander with the surname of the president who actively tolerated racial gerrymandering and draws attention to the ridiculously shaped congressional districts that evoke the antlers of the moose who shared the cartoon spotlight with Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Written from the perspective of a cartographer rather than a political scientist, Bushmanders and Bullwinkles examines the political tales maps tell when votes and power are at stake. Monmonier shows how redistricting committees carve out favorable election districts for themselves and their allies; how disgruntled politicians use shape to challenge alleged racial gerrymanders; and how geographic information systems can make reapportionment a controversial process with outrageous products. He also explores controversies over the proper roles of natural boundaries, media maps, census enumeration, and ethnic identity. Raising important questions about Supreme Court decisions in regulating redistricting, Monmonier asks if the focus on form rather than function may be little more than a distraction from larger issues like election reform. Characterized by the same wit and clarity as Monmonier's previous books, Bushmanders and Bullwinkles is essential background for understanding what might prove the most contentious political debate of the new decade.

Political Redistricting

Political Redistricting
Author: Library of Congress. Science Policy Research Division
Publisher:
Total Pages: 50
Release: 1973
Genre: Apportionment (Election law)
ISBN:

Drawing the Line

Drawing the Line
Author: Mark S. Monmonier
Publisher: Mark Monmonier
Total Pages: 392
Release: 1995
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780805025811

Argues that maps can be manipulated to distort the truth, and shows how they have been used for propaganda in international affairs, political districting, and finding toxic dump sites