US with Canadian parties

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I would counter with this proposal:







I wouldn't hold counties sacred in New Jersey. With 21 counties and 14 districts, there are going to be splits, even with the obscenely generous 25% allowance in population variance.

Blue (Camden): Camden County by itself is short of the ideal population, so a riding based there has room to grow. I chose to pick up some of Gloucester County (the areas most in Camden's sphere of influence) to allow the Green riding to pick up Atlantic County. Population: 643,382 (2.4% overpopulated)

Green (Atlantic City-Vineland): My biggest problem with Nathan's map is that it pairs Burlington and Atlantic Counties. All of the development in Burlington is the northern part of the county, and the development in Atlantic is mostly along the coast. Take a ride along US 206- there's practically nothing between Southampton and downtown Hammonton. These two counties do not belong in the same riding. To rectify this problem, I put Atlantic County in the southern riding. Population: 753,358 (20.0% overpopulated)

Purple (Ocean): This riding comprises all of Ocean County, and is unchanged from Nathan's map. Population: 576,567 (8.2% underpopulated)

Red (Monmouth): This riding comprises all of Monmouth County, and is unchanged from Nathan's map. Population: 630,380 (0.4% overpopulated)

Gold (Burlington-Hamilton): The loss of Atlantic County means that the Burlington riding has to go into Mercer, forcing an awkward split. Hamilton fits better with the Burlington district than Atlantic County does, though. Population: 550,840 (12.3% underpopulated)

Teal (Woodbridge-Edison-Piscataway): Even with the generous allowance in population deviation, Middlesex County is a bit too much for one riding (29.0% overpopulated). This, unfortunately, means the County must be split. The parts of Somerset County I included in this riding share more in common politically and demographically with northern Middlesex County than with the rest of Somerset County. Population: 478,322 (23.8% underpopulated)

Dim Gray (Trenton-New Brunswick): The remainder of Mercer County gets paired with the parts of Middlesex County south of the Raritan River. Population: 673,208 (7.2% overpopulated)

Slate Blue (Elizabeth-Plainfield): This riding is comprised of all of Union County and is unchanged from Nathan's map. Population: 536,499 (14.6% underpopulated)

Cyan (Morris): By itself, Morris County is near the bare minimum to have a riding by itself (21.6% underpopulated), so a riding based there has room to grow. I chose to give it some of the West Essex suburbs, which have more in common with Morris County than with Newark. Population: 581,953 (7.3% underpopulated)

Deep Pink (Somerville-Phillipsburg-Sussex): I started with Nathan's riding, but swapped out the Passaic County portion to allow for a better split in Bergen County. I think Nathan's riding was a bit short on population, as well, which is how it can pick up the majority of Somerset County and remain close to the ideal. Population: 632,485 (0.7% overpopulated)

Chartreuse (Newark): Essex County is near the maximum allowed population for a riding (24.8% overpopulated). The western suburbs have more in common with Morris County than with Newark, so they were a natural choice to swap out. Population: 694,292 (10.6% overpopulated).

Cornflower Blue (Jersey City): This riding is comprised of all of Hudson County, and is unchanged from Nathan's map. Population: 634,266 (1.0% overpopulated)

Dark Salmon (Paterson-Hackensack): My other biggest problem with Nathan's map is that Paterson was paired with northwestern Bergen County. I think communities of interest would be better served by pairing Paterson with other ethnically diverse communities in Bergen County instead. Population: 759,493 (20.9% overpopulated)

Olive (Wayne-Paramus-Mahwah): This riding consists mostly of whiter, more conservative suburbs of Paterson and Hackensack. Population: 646,849 (3.0% overpopulated)

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

My only concern with Vazdul's map is Somerset going in with the Skylands, though it's still much better than what is actually done in that area in real life.

I'm not too happy about this myself. Ideally, that area would go with Morris County, but that leaves the Skylands riding underpopulated unless it goes into Wayne, and the Bergen County split would suffer as well.

Alternatively, we could split off some of the more westerly parts of Morris County and append them to the Skylands district, like so:



I'm not really sure that that's more desirable, though...

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

While they weren't big enough for their own districts, I did have to split Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish due to the high population in the area.

Nothing against your map, but just to give people the choice, I did another Louisiana 8-district map for Hashemite's thread a couple weeks ago.



Your 3rd district is the exact same as my 5th, interestingly. And our 1st one is pretty similar too.

I don't claim to be an expert on Louisiana, but I prefer Antonio's map, with a few modifications:

1. Swap St. Landry and Ascension Parishes. Gonzales is arguably a suburb of Baton Rouge and is directly connected by an Interstate highway. Opelousas is arguably a suburb of Lafayette and is directly connected by an Interstate highway. Opelousas and Baton Rouge are roughly 50 miles apart and are only connected by Interstate highways via Lafayette.

2. Put St. James Parish in the Houma-Thibodaux riding. There is no road connection between St. James and Assumption Parishes. With Ascension Parish in the Baton Rouge riding, St. James Parish would be cut off from the rest of the Lafayette riding. St. James Parish is small, and should fit easily.

3. Underpopulate the Lake Charles riding a bit, to get it as far out of Central Louisiana as possible. No matter how you slice it, Central Louisiana gets screwed, so let's try to keep most of it intact. I'd put Natchitoches and Sabine parishes in the Monroe riding. This keeps most of Central Louisiana in the Monroe riding, while at the same time keeping the Lake Charles riding more of a "Western Acadiana" riding.

Other notes: Alexandria has to be paired with either Monroe or Lake Charles. The Alexandria metropolitan area consists of Rapides and Grant parishes. Since Grant Parish is between Alexandria and Monroe along US 165, Monroe is the better fit. Also, I see no reason to split Orleans Parish, or to put St. Bernard Parish in the New Orleans riding. I think Antonio's version of the New Orleans riding (i.e. Orleans Parish plus the part of Jefferson Parish north of the river) is what a boundary commission would do.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I'm not prepared to call this anything more than a draft, but I've done Michigan.





Wayne County: Three ridings can fit into Wayne County nicely within the population restraints, so I decided to do just that.

Blue (Detroit East): The city of Detroit is too big for one riding, so it gets split. I couldn't find useful ward maps for Detroit, so the split is based mostly on what looks good. Population: 603,451 (9.90% overpopulated).

Green (Detroit West-Dearborn): The western part of Detroit gets paired with some of its immediate suburbs. Population: 615,542 (12.10% overpopulated).

Purple (Livonia-Westland-Southgate): This is the suburban Wayne County riding. Population: 601,591 (9.56% overpopulated).

Oakland and Macomb Counties: Two ridings can fit into Oakland County within the population restraints, but then Wayne and Oakland together would be underrepresented by about half of a riding. As it happens, Macomb is entitled to about a riding and a half, so I decided to put two ridings entirely in Oakland, one entirely in Macomb, and one crossing the Oakland-Macomb County line.

Red (Waterford-West Bloomfield): This riding contains the most exurban and rural parts of Oakland County. Population: 461,867 (15.89% underpopulated).

Gold (Pontiac-Southfield): I'm convinced that Pontiac and Southfield belong in the same riding. I'm not crazy about the shape, but its the only way the population works out without splitting municipalities. Population: 463,650 (15.56% underpopulated).

Teal (Warren-Sterling Heights): This is a nice, compact riding consisting of southern Macomb County. Population: 563,724 (2.66% overpopulated).

Dim Gray (Troy-Macomb North): This riding consists of the leftovers from Oakland and Macomb Counties. Population: 554,099 (0.91% overpopulated).

The Rest of the State: From this point on, there are no county splits.

Slate Blue (Ann Arbor-Monroe-Adrian): Population: 596,704 (8.67% overpopulated).

Cyan (Lansing-Howell): Livingston County is awkward- it doesn't really belong with anything yet it must go somewhere. Ann Arbor and Flint are poor choices, and going east will screw up the Detroit area. So it goes with Lansing. Population: 645,003 (17.47% overpopulated).

Deep Pink (Flint-Owosso): Since Genesee County doesn't have enough population for a riding of its own, it gets paired with Shiawassee. Population: 496,438 (9.59% underpopulated).

Chartreuse (Bay City-The Thumb): I'm not happy about pairing the Thumb with Bay City, but the alternatives are Saginaw, Flint, and northern Macomb County. I don't see how Saginaw is a better option than Bay City. Flint is too populous and would need to either be split or split the Thumb. Northern Macomb would screw up the balance in that area. Population: 491,091 (10.56% underpopulated).

Before anyone mentions it, using Livingston County instead of northern Macomb to pair with Oakland's "half riding" would, at best, really push the limits of minimum population, and that's assuming I can find a combination of municipalities to make it work. I could throw in Shiawassee to bump the population up, but I can't justify that from a community of interest standpoint, and there are only minor roads connecting Shiawassee to Livingston.

Cornflower Blue (St. Joseph-Three Rivers-Hastings): This shape doesn't thrill me either, but Kalamazoo is in a rather inconvenient place. Population: 517,240 (5.80% underpopulated).

Dark Salmon (Kalamazoo-Battle Creek-Jackson): Population: 638,661 (16.31% overpopulated).

Olive (Grand Rapids): Population: 602,622 (9.75% overpopulated).

Yellow (Muskegon-Holland): Population: 511,019 (6.93% underpopulated).

Dark Slate Blue (Saginaw-Midland-Mount Pleasant): Population: 523,832 (4.60% underpopulated).

Dark Orange (Central Michigan): Got a better name for the mostly rural riding? Let me know. Population: 500,467 (8.86% underpopulated).

Lime (Alpena-Upper Peninsula): Population: 496,639 (9.55% underpopulated).

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Comments on my Wisconsin map ?

I think it's good. I was a bit iffy about pairing Dane County with Jefferson County, but having looked at the numbers, I don't see an alternative.

I crave your indulgence(s):







?

Missouri looks good.

In Georgia, would it be possible to rotate Rome-Dalton, Macon-Columbus, Augusta-Milledgeville, and Athens-North Georgia Mountains a bit counterclockwise? I'm of the opinion that Columbus belongs with Albany, Athens belongs with Augusta, and Macon should be the focal point of a central Georgia riding (definitely including Houston County). My concern is that such a rotation would ruin the Rome-Dalton riding. I may work on a counter-proposal later.

I already gave my comments on Louisiana.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Georgia, I should point out, is Bacon King's map, not mine; I just named the ridings.

In that case, I'll defer to his judgment, since he's actually, you know, from Georgia. But I still think Houston County belongs with Macon.

As for Pennsylvania, I have a couple of issues.

1. Put Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in the same riding if possible. Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- you can't have one without the other.

2. I really don't think Altoona and Williamsport belong in the same riding.

Since I haven't played around with the map yet, I can't say how it'll work. I might try later since I don't have to do Georgia now.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I don't like the Myrtle Beach riding, but the best I could do without county splits.

I have a counter-proposal:



Blue (Charleston): I'll admit that South Carolina can be tricky to draw. One of the reasons for this is that once you include Charleston and it's immediate suburbs in a riding, you still need to pick up some population. But Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head is too much for the Charleston riding, but not enough to really anchor a riding on their own. So if you're to have a coherent Charleston riding, you're forced to have three ridngs that border the coast, where intuitively there should only be two. Population: 759,188 (1.52% underpopulated).

Green (Myrtle Beach-Florence-Sumter): This riding encompasses the Pee Dee Region. Population: 777,295 (0.83% overpopulated).

Purple (Greenville-Anderson-Easley): Another thing that makes South Carolina tricky to draw is that the obvious pairing of Greenville and Spartanburg can easily cause you to paint yourself into a corner. If I had gone with a Greenville-Spartanburg riding with the way I drew Charleston, I would have been forced into an awkward northwestern riding surrounding Greenville-Spartanburg (and likely a split of York County). However, separating Greenville from Spartanburg can be justified- they are in separate Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Greenville's MSA includes Pickens County, whereas Spartanburg County is an MSA by itself. Population: 831,848 (7.91% overpopulated).

Red (Hilton Head-Aiken-Greenwood): With the population centers where they are, you're pretty much forced to have a long riding going most of the length of the Savannah River if you want to avoid awkwardness elsewhere. Population: 804,835 (4.40% overpopulated).

Yellow (Columbia): All of the counties in this riding are in Columbia's MSA, even rural Fairfield, Kershaw, and Calhoun. Population: 747,723 (3.01% underpopulated).

Teal (Spartanburg-Rock Hill): Population: 704,475 (8.62% underpopulated).

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

New riding names in the changed area: Poconos--Sayre and The Valley, Wyoming Valley, Harrisburg--Mid-Susquehanna, Altoona--State College, Allegheny. It should be obvious which is which. One can even out the populations a little more by putting Schuykill in Poconos--Sayre and The Valley, but that looks atrocious and makes no sense. The hemicycle of mountainous counties north and east of the Wyoming Valley is a community of interest. Schuykill County is not part of that community of interest. Bradford County barely is (the community of interest of which it is really part crosses state lines up towards Elmira), but it has to be in it for the populations to work at all without splitting anything.

I'd say that's an improvement, but I'm still not completely sold (yet). I'm working on something right now, but I'm not sure if it'll work.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Please keep my ridings in the west and south-east intact. I'm quite proud of those setups. Other than that I'm more than willing to see what you come up with.

Nothing will be changed in the southeast (York- Gettysburg, Lancaster, Berks, Lehigh Valley are considered the borders of the southeast for this purpose) or in Allegheny County, but I may have to shift a couple of things in the west. The central part of the state is what will likely be changed most, however. Unfortunately, my browser just crashed, which means I have to start over. I'll try again after dinner.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Blue: The blue represents areas that I have completely forbidden myself from changing from Nathan's map. I consider those thirteen ridings done perfectly, so I made them non-negotiable.

Green (Harrisburg-Carlisle): My plan reunites Harrisburg with its suburbs in Cumberland County. Population: 503,506 (8.83% underpopulated).

Purple (Lebanon-Pottsville-Sunbury): I'm not too happy about having to put Lebanon in this riding, but it is connected to Schuylkill County by Interstate. Population: 461,947 (16.36% underpopulated).

Red (Wyoming Valley): I cut Columbia County from Nathan's version of this riding. Columbia County is not in the Scranton-Wilkes Barre MSA, and it's presence only adds to that riding's deviation from the ideal. Not to mention that Columbia County was needed for the purple riding. Population: 563,631 (2.06% overpopulated).

Gold (Poconos-Sayre and the Valley): I added tiny Sullivan County to Nathan's version of this riding. Population: 457,688 (17.13% underpopulated).

Teal (Chambersburg-Altoona-Lewistown): I wanted to get State College into a north-central Pennsylvania riding rather than a south-central one. It just looks better to me that way. Population: 544,216 (1.46% underpopulated).

Dim Gray (Monongahela): I kept this riding from Nathan's map intact. Population: 460,854 (16.55% underpopulated).

Slate Blue (Johnstown-Greensburg): I kept this riding from Nathan's map intact. Population: 597,728 (8.23% overpopulated).

Cyan (Beaver-Butler-Oil City): I had to add to this riding and the Erie riding to get the State College riding down to an acceptable population. Note: After taking this screenshot, I put Venango County into the Erie riding. Population: 554,438 (0.39% overpopulated).

Deep Pink (Erie-Sharon): Population: 590,484 (6.92% overpopulated).

Lime (State College-Williamsport-Allegheny Plateau): I think this is more aesthetically pleasing. I-80 serves all of the major population centers. Population: 621,047 (12.45% overpopulated).

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Here's my effort at a Louisiana map:



Blue: New Orleans - West Bank. Plaquemines doesn't really go with New Orleans, but St. Bernard and west Jefferson definitely do. West Jefferson goes better with New Orleans than east Jefferson.

Yellow: Metarie - Gonzalez. There's no way at all that east Jefferson belongs in the same district as Cajun country. I think this I-10 district from Gonzalez to Metarie does a decent job of maintaining a community of interest without being too odd or messing up the rest of the map.

Green: Baton Rouge. Self explanatory; Baton Rouge district.

Red: North Shore. Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana (the two parishes in the far west of the district) should probably be in another district, but that would make the map look way too odd and I guess they fit well enough.

Purple: Gulf Coast (?). Cajun district!

Teal: Lake Charles - Opelousas - Lafayette. I think that name might be too big, but I like how the district manages to be so rectangular.

Gray: Alexandria - Monroe. I'm worried this district is a bit too big physically, but I guess it's not that bad

Grayish-blue: Shreveport. This could be expanded southward but I like the idea of a district that stays within the Shreveport area.

Could we have a closeup of the split in Jefferson Parish? I'm not really sure what you mean by East Jefferson and West Jefferson- the split looks more north-south to me.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Okay, I took a stab at Maryland.







Blue (Harford-Eastern Shore): Population: 694,052 (3.83% underpopulated).

Green (Baltimore): Baltimore County has to be split. Since Baltimore City is underpopulated, it makes sense for one riding to be within the county, and one riding to pick up the remainder of the county and all of the city. Population: 699,199 (3.12% underpopulated).

Purple (Towson-Randallstown-Perry Hall):  Population: 726,791 (0.71% overpopulated).

Red (Frederick-Hagerstown-Cumberland): Population: 653,133 (9.50% underpopulated).

Yellow (Bowie-St. Charles): This riding pairs southern Maryland with "outer" Prince George's County. Population 712,759 (1.24% underpopulated).

Teal (Annapolis-Ellicott City): This riding pairs Howard County with the more developed part of Anne Arundel County. Population: 745,430 (3.29% overpopulated).

Dim Gray (Fort Washington-Bethesda): This riding takes in all of Washington's immediate suburbs. Population: 769,718 (6.65% overpopulated).

Slate Blue (Rockville-Germantown): This riding is contained entirely within Montgomery County. Population: 772,470 (7.04% overpopulated).

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Indiana:





Blue (Gary-Crown Point-Valparaiso): This riding consists of Lake and Porter Counties. Population: 660,348 (1.85% overpopulated).

Green (South Bend-Elkhart-La Porte): Population: 646,371 (0.31% underpopulated).

Purple (Fort Wayne-Warsaw): Wells and Adams Counties are only included because Wells County is in the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Area, and the riding to the south would look stupid if it still had Adams County. Population: 689,074 (6.28% overpopulated).

Red (Lafayette-Kokomo): Population: 626,446 (3.39% underpopulated).

Yellow (Muncie-Anderson): Population: 569,034 (12.24% underpopulated).

Teal (Indianapolis): Marion County is too populous for a riding, so it must be split. I think this map conforms mostly to township boundaries, but there are a couple of exclaves within the city proper. The northern part of the county is a better match to the city proper than the southern part, both politically and demographically. Population: 715,515 (10.35% overpopulated).

Dim Gray (Carmel-Plainfield-Greenwood): This may be a bit controversial, but it looks like the exurbs of Indianapolis are only in the parts of the outer counties nearest to the city. The outer parts of those counties appear rural. I feel that the exurbs would be better served if they are concentrated in a single riding rather than split between rural ridings. Population: 681,324 (5.08% overpopulated).

Slate Blue (Bloomington-Terre Haute): Population: 602,339 (7.11% underpopulated).

Cyan (Columbus-Seymour): Population: 616,533 (4.92% underpopulated).

Deep Pink (Evansville-Clarksville): Population: 676,818 (4.39% overpopulated).

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

And my offering for Ohio:









Blue (Lakewood-Parma-Solon): This is a suburban Cleveland riding contained entirely in Cuyahoga County. Brook Park is not split- that’s part of a Cleveland precinct. Population: 635,233 (15.63% overpopulated).

Green (Cleveland): The city of Cleveland gets paired with some of its eastern suburbs. Population: 644,889 (17.39% overpopulated).

Purple (Mentor-Kent): Lake, Geauga, and Portage Counties. Population: 484,849 (11.74% underpopulated).

Red (Akron): This riding contains all of Summit County. Population: 541,781 (1.38% underpopulated).

Gold (Youngstown-Warren-Ashtabula): Population: 550,632 (0.23% overpopulated).

Teal (Lorain-Medina): Population: 473,688 (13.78% underpopulated).

Dim Gray (Canton-Columbiana): Carroll County is (inexplicably) in the Canton MSA, so the riding went east instead of west. Population: 581,972 (5.94% overpopulated)

Slate Blue (Toledo-Bowling Green): Population: 567,303 (3.27% overpopulated)

Cyan (Dayton): Population: 535,153 (2.59% underpopulated).

Deep Pink (New Philadelphia-Zanesville-Athens): Population: 548,842 (0.09% underpopulated).

Chartreuse (Mansfield-Wooster): Population: 540,533 (1.61% underpopulated).

Cornflower Blue (Outer Columbus): Anyone who has worked with DRA knows that precincts in Columbus are a nightmare to deal with. Yes, this isn’t technically contiguous, but it’s the best I’m willing to go for. Frankly, I’m surprised I was able to get it looking as good as it does. Population: 580,663 (5.70% overpopulated).

Dark Salmon (Columbus Centre): Population: 582,751 (6.08% overpopulated).

Olive (Delaware-Newark-Lancaster): Exurban Columbus riding. Population: 486,862 (11.38% underpopulated).

Dark Orange (Chillicothe-Portsmouth): Population: 552,149 (0.51% overpopulated).

Lime (Cincinnati): The northern suburbs, in my view, best match the demographics and politics of the city proper. After that, I took the eastern suburbs to bring it up to population. Population: 596,131 (8.51% overpopulated).

Dark Slate Blue (Hamilton-Middletown): The leftovers from Hamilton County get paired with Butler County. Population: 574,373 (4.55% overpopulated).

Yellow (Mason-Loveland-Wilmington): I’m not thrilled with this riding, but I don’t know how to improve it. Suggestions are welcome. Population: 481,126 (12.43% underpopulated).

Yellow-Green (Springfield-Xenia-Troy): Preble, Miami, and Greene Counties are in the Dayton MSA, so I felt that they belong in the same riding. Population 497,641 (9.41% underpopulated).

Pink (Sandusky-Findlay): Being not so familiar with rural Ohio, it may be desirable to shift some territory between this riding, the Mansfield riding, and the Lima riding. Again, I’m open to suggestions. Population: 575,310 (4.72% overpopulated).

Maroon (Lima-Urbana): Population: 504,623 (8.14% underpopulated).

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Outer Columbus looks contiguous to me.

There are some exclaves. The city has a ton of them. It's really unavoidable.

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Franklin? I guess that could work.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Any other comments on Maryland, Indiana, or Ohio?

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Any other comments on Maryland, Indiana, or Ohio?

They're pretty good. With Maryland, I think it'd be better if you had one district that was just Baltimore City and one that was just Baltimore County (I tried MD a while ago, and I don't remember it being too overpopulated- what threshold are you using?).

I was using the 25% threshold, but trying to keep the deviations much lower when possible. These changes would work within the 25% threshold. Baltimore County is about 11% overpopulated and Baltimore City is about 14% underpopulated. My concern is that the underpopulation in the city may be too much when you consider that the city's population is also declining. There's also the fact that I kept the deviation under 10% elsewhere.

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You mean the whole rest of Anne Arundel County, or just the extreme northern part closest to Annapolis? Shifting the entire rest of Anne Arundel County to the teal riding would work, but I'm not entirely sure it would better serve communities of interest. Southern Anne Arundel County looks more rural, similar to Calvert and St. Mary's Counties, as opposed to the more suburban northern part of the county. With the yellow riding forced into suburban Prince George's anyway, I didn't want to completely screw rural interests in the southern part of the state. But it does look as if there are a few more suburban precincts near Annapolis that probably should be shifted into the teal riding.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Washington:



Riding names

1-Seattle

2-Lake Washington

3-Tacoma

4-Kitsap Peninsula-Olympia

5-Skykomish-White River

6-North Puget Sound-Olympic Mountains

7-Grays Harbor-Vancouver

8-Tri Cities-Yakima

9-Spokane-Okanagan

1. With such a large deviation threshold, surely you can get rid of some of those egregious county splits. I'm playing around with this right now, and I don't see why King County needs to be split between more than three ridings, why Snohomish County needs to be split between more than two, and why Pierce County needs to be split at all.

2. I've seen people on this forum propose districts that cross the Puget Sound before, and I've always been mystified by it. Does Port Townsend really belong with Bellingham? Wouldn't it make more sense to pair Bellingham with Everett and keep the Olympic Peninsula whole?

3. Surely Klickitat County belongs in an Eastern Washington riding.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Works for me, then. After all, you're the one who's from the state in question.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I think that the states that have been finished are:

South Carolina
Louisiana
Maryland
Washington
Indiana
New Jersey
Michigan
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas

Also, hold off on drawing Kentucky. I'm going to draw a counter-proposal to Hatman's plan

South Carolina: Has two competing proposals that haven't been debated.
Louisiana: Has at least three competing proposals that haven't been seriously debated.
Maryland: I'm still looking for input, and some changes will be made as per Bacon King's suggestions.
Washington: I'd wait a little while for more input, but it'll probably end up looking similar to Jackson's plan.
Indiana: I'd like some input on this before it is finalized. I'm not sure if the lack of comment means I did a good job or if people don't feel qualified enough to say.
New Jersey: This one's done.
Michigan: I'd like a little more input on this one as well.
Ohio: I'd like a little more input. I'm really not sure about some of the rural ridings.
Pennsylvania: This one's done.
Texas: I think it's safe to assume this one's done.

And I've recently finished Virginia and will have a proposal up shortly.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Virginia:







Blue (Arlington-Alexandria-Fairfax East): Arlington and Alexandria get paired with the eastern part of Fairfax County. I tried not to split municipalities, but it seems that precincts don't entirely conform to municipal boundaries. Population: 744,533 (2.36% overpopulated).

Green (Fairfax West): The remainder of Fairfax County. Population: 719,683 (1.06% underpopulated).

Purple (Manassas-Leesburg): Outer suburban DC. Population: 766,407 (5.37% overpopulated).

Red (Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Delmarva): The Delmarva Peninsula is only connected by road to Virginia Beach, so the two must be paired. Population: 705,756 (2.97% underpopulated).

Gold (Hampton Roads): Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, York County, and Williamsburg. Population: 748,175 (2.86% overpopulated).

Teal (Blacksburg-Bristol-Martinsville): Population: 722,603 (0.65% underpopulated).

Gray (Richmond): I feel that the split of Chesterfield County is justified to keep Richmond and its immediate suburbs in the same riding. Population: 738,287 (1.50% overpopulated).

Slate Blue (Roanoke-Shenandoah Valley): I think Roanoke fits best in this riding, but I'm not sure. It may be more desirable to swap it out for the northern portion of the Charlottesville riding, creating a Central Virginia riding that doesn't go all the way up to DC exurbia. Input would be appreciated. Population: 722,075 (0.73% underpopulated).

Cyan (Fredericksburg-Tidewater): Population: 694,738 (4.49% underpopulated).

Deep Pink (Lynchburg-Charlottesville-Warrenton): Again, I'm not too happy about Fauquier County's presence in this riding. Should it go in with the Shenandoah Valley instead? Population: 699,010 (3.90% underpopulated).

Chartreuse (Petersburg-Suffolk-Danville): Population: 739,757 (1.70% overpopulated).