[extropy-chat] POL: Gerrymandering and Geometry: A Tiling Problem?

[Robin Hanson]

On 12/10/2003, Greg Burch wrote:
>Here's my question: is it possible to devise an algorithm that would 
>create an ideal tiling based on the restraint of having the same number of 
>voters in each district, given an uneven geographic distribution of 
>voters, but MINIMIZING the ratio of the surface area of each tile 
>(congressional district) to its defining border and perhaps also 
>minimizing the number or negative angles in the shape of the border?

There is a large literature on this in political science.  See for example 
http://data.fas.harvard.edu/micah_altman/papers/complexv1_1.pdf
http://www.hmdc.harvard.edu/micah_altman/papers/com_sim2_1.pdf
(which are from Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal 23(1):81-142 
and Political Geography 17(8):989-1012.)

The answer is yes, it is quite possible.  Two criticisms are usually 
offered of this approach.
1) There are lots of different "objective" algorithms possible, and you'd 
move the political battle up a level to pick which one.
2) "Judgement" is always needed, so we can't just trust a machine.
I find these arguments unpersuasive.



Robin Hanson  rhanson at gmu.edu  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326  FAX: 703-993-2323