Quantifying Gerrymandering: Hearing the Will of the People

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Quantifying Gerrymandering: Hearing the Will of the People

When	Friday, March 18, 2022, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (MT)
Where	MEB 3147 (LCR)

Abstract

Gerrymandering is the process of manipulating political districts either to amplify the power of a political group or suppress the representation of certain demographic groups. Although we have seen increasingly precise and effective gerrymanders, a number of mathematicians, political scientists, and lawyers are developing effective methodologies at uncovering and understanding the intent and effects of gerrymandered districts.

The basic idea behind these methods is to compare a given set of districts to a large collection of neutrally drawn plans. The process relies on three distinct components: First, we determine rules for compliant redistricting plans along with codifying preferences between these plans; next, we sample the space of compliant redistricting plans (according to our preferences) and generate a large collection of non-partisan alternatives; finally, we compare the collection of plans to a particular plan of interest.

In this talk, we will discuss how our research group at Duke has analyzed gerrymandering. We will discuss the sampling methods we employ, including several recent algorithmic advances. We will also discuss how recent advances in North Carolina’s legal theory have brought partisan symmetry considerations back into focus.

Speakers

Tags: algorithms & theory statistics

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