The Missouri Miracle – and a Celebration of the Muon2 Redistricting Rules

[jimrtex]

On RRH, somebody asserted that the Muon2 rules as they applied to Missouri, the “Show Me” state, would make a harsh of things. So I drew a map for 2021 based on the projected county populations calculated by the census bureau. The map speaks for itself. Rather than a map miss-mash hash, it is precisely the opposite – a thing of beauty, and in fact, it just so happens that the population distribution results in the near miracle, that St. Charles County need not be chopped at all, with the other two St. Louis urban cluster CD’s perfected nested in the balance of the urban cluster zone. The KC urban cluster is almost as good, and only requires a non-macro chop of Jackson County.

I am quite sure this map minimizes chops, and it looks good from an erosity standpoint to boot. Maybe there is a map with a better erosity score, with no more chops, but I strongly tend to doubt it. I worked hard to make this map beautiful. The equality score is bad, but the benefit is the almost perfect CD nesting within the two urban clusters. Muon2 should make Exhibit A to his white paper. ☺

Speaking of the equality metric, is it just in interplay with the erosity score, or does in play with the chop score?  Hopefully just the former.  I think it poor public policy to encourage chops over de minimus population variances.  And do subunit chops just affect the erosity score? Are you allowed more than one subunit chop per county per CD? I probably have been told the answers before, but need to be reminded, because I’m old.

I think Muon2 and I are on the same page as to bridge chops now, but I am studying his definitions. On that one, I know I’m right. Yes, I do. Are bridge chops just banned, or do they just count as a penalty point now, Muon2? Probably the latter is preferable, assuming you cannot be persuaded to go the preference route on anything.

That’s all for now. Well done, Muon2.  I have a reasonable hope that some day you will become a famous man over this. Yes I do.  Your life has a meaning and a purpose, and without that, in my view, one does not have much at all. Count yourself fortunate. ☺

Should Kansas City be treated as a county since it has its own election board, or alternatively should it be treated as if it is entirely in Jackson County?

[jimrtex]

Should Kansas City be treated as a county since it has its own election board, or alternatively should it be treated as if it is entirely in Jackson County?

I don't think so. I don't know about MO, but in many states where cities can span multiple counties statute makes it clear that the portion in each county is treated separately. Aurora IL is in four counties and has its own electoral board for three of those counties. Even so, precincts cannot span county lines. It makes the most sense to treat district lines the same way.

Can precinct boundaries span city lines?

[jimrtex]

Should Kansas City be treated as a county since it has its own election board, or alternatively should it be treated as if it is entirely in Jackson County?

I don't think so. I don't know about MO, but in many states where cities can span multiple counties statute makes it clear that the portion in each county is treated separately. Aurora IL is in four counties and has its own electoral board for three of those counties. Even so, precincts cannot span county lines. It makes the most sense to treat district lines the same way.

Can precinct boundaries span city lines?

If the city does not constitute an election jurisdiction, like a township, then the precinct lines can cross muni lines. They do in my township.

I think that the district entirely in the UCC should include all of Kansas City.

If an objective set of rules prevents this, my subjective opinion is that there is a problem with objective set of rules.

[jimrtex]

Should Kansas City be treated as a county since it has its own election board, or alternatively should it be treated as if it is entirely in Jackson County?

I don't think so. I don't know about MO, but in many states where cities can span multiple counties statute makes it clear that the portion in each county is treated separately. Aurora IL is in four counties and has its own electoral board for three of those counties. Even so, precincts cannot span county lines. It makes the most sense to treat district lines the same way.

Can precinct boundaries span city lines?

If the city does not constitute an election jurisdiction, like a township, then the precinct lines can cross muni lines. They do in my township.

I think that the district entirely in the UCC should include all of Kansas City.

If an objective set of rules prevents this, my subjective opinion is that there is a problem with objective set of rules.

Geographically for chops to make sense there should be a clear hierarchy of units, each of which spans the entire space of the preceding unit. For example in WI we are using

UCCs (as applicable)
Counties
Cities/Villages/Townships
Wards/VTDs

There are cities and villages that cross county lines, but WI says they aggregate their votes by parts in separate counties. For electoral and redistricting purposes a city in two counties acts as two separate cities, each wholly in a county.

M.R.S. 999.999 Redistricting Counties

Before December 31 in the year ending in 0, the legislative body of each municipality that encompasses territory in more than one county may designate that for redistricting purposes, the municipality is to be treated as lying entirely in the county which contains the largest share of the population at the previous census. If the legislative body does not make such designation, the parts of the municipality that lie in different counties shall be treated as separate municipalities for redistricting purposes.

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Not that Wards/VTDs should not be used. But larger cities may/must designate neighborhoods. The use of wards in Ohio was really a mess.

[jimrtex]

Should Kansas City be treated as a county since it has its own election board, or alternatively should it be treated as if it is entirely in Jackson County?

I don't think so. I don't know about MO, but in many states where cities can span multiple counties statute makes it clear that the portion in each county is treated separately. Aurora IL is in four counties and has its own electoral board for three of those counties. Even so, precincts cannot span county lines. It makes the most sense to treat district lines the same way.

Can precinct boundaries span city lines?

If the city does not constitute an election jurisdiction, like a township, then the precinct lines can cross muni lines. They do in my township.

I think that the district entirely in the UCC should include all of Kansas City.

If an objective set of rules prevents this, my subjective opinion is that there is a problem with objective set of rules.

Geographically for chops to make sense there should be a clear hierarchy of units, each of which spans the entire space of the preceding unit. For example in WI we are using

UCCs (as applicable)
Counties
Cities/Villages/Townships
Wards/VTDs

There are cities and villages that cross county lines, but WI says they aggregate their votes by parts in separate counties. For electoral and redistricting purposes a city in two counties acts as two separate cities, each wholly in a county.

M.R.S. 999.999 Redistricting Counties

Before December 31 in the year ending in 0, the legislative body of each municipality that encompasses territory in more than one county may designate that for redistricting purposes, the municipality is to be treated as lying entirely in the county which contains the largest share of the population at the previous census. If the legislative body does not make such designation, the parts of the municipality that lie in different counties shall be treated as separate municipalities for redistricting purposes.

-------

Not that Wards/VTDs should not be used. But larger cities may/must designate neighborhoods. The use of wards in Ohio was really a mess.

For the purposes of our WI exercise on the other thread, do we know which munis passed such a resolution? Do we know to what extent the WI leg followed those resolutions? My fear is that since what you quote is a statute, if the remap is also by statute then the leg can overrule the munis.

That was a hypothetical Missouri statute. Clearly it was the intent to keep Kansas City whole, so we know the KC city council passed it.

If a state were to adopt a systematic way of redistricting, it might be inclined to continue to do so.