US House Redistricting: Indiana

[minionofmidas]

Not one but two "fair" maps of Indiana!

 

1 (Chicago suburbs) 64% White, 20% Black, 14% Hispanic, 63.3% Obama / 65% White, 18% Black, 14% Hispanic, 61.6% Obama. Visclosky
Safe with or without Michigan City. It's a fine decision - Michigan City presumably looks to Chicago rather than South Bend, La Porte probably does not. But the two also belong together, no?

2 (South Bend) 82% White, 49.9% McCain / 80% White, 51.0% Obama. Donnelly
Yeah well, we know which design Joe Donnelly is going to prefer.

3 (Fort Wayne) 85% White, 55.1% McCain / 86% White, 55.2% McCain. Stutzman
Wasn't comfortable with the placement of Marion in the first attempt. Now that I look up the locations of congressmen, I see the first map also just barely draws Stutzman into Donnelly's district while the second does not.

4 (smaller towns northwest of Indy) 89% White, 54.3% McCain / 88% White, 53.6% McCain. open
The placing of Martinsville (just southwest of Indianapolis) in this district is really what triggered the extensive redrawing. This and the 6th (and the 5th, but it doesn't matter there) are the areas where Obama's percentage is most exaggerated, neither seat is remotely in danger for Republicans.

5 (Indianapolis suburbs) 85% White, 58.3% McCain. Rokita? Burton?
Not affected by remap - although you obviously could legitimately draw it very differently, either by doing a simpler two way split of the Indy metro or by drawing two partially suburban seats around the 7th. Purely suburban seats like this one are a preference of mine. Do something about it. *shrug*
I don't know where Rokita and Burton live, exactly, but Carson's district is safe anyhow.

6 (smaller towns east of Indy) 91% White, 52.1% McCain / 92% White, 53.6% McCain. Pence
Pence's hometown of Columbus is removed and added to the 8th in the second map, but it still skirts the city boundary. He probably could run here anyhow.

7 (Indianapolis) 55% White, 30% Black, 10% Hispanic, 68.0% Obama. Carson
Not affected by remap.

8 (Evansville - Terre Haute) / (Bloomington - Terre Haute) 92% White, 50.5% McCain / 91% White, 49.5% McCain. Bucshon (map 1), Young (map 2)
Evidently, you could split the 8th and 9th east-west on the second map too. Going to require some odd compromise around Martinsville or Bedford, but heh. I'd advise against introducing the north-south split into the first map, however.

9 (Louisville suburbs - Bloomington) / (Lousville suburbs - Evansville) 92% White, 52.1% McCain / 91% White, 52.2% McCain. Young (map 1) Bucshon (map 2)
This is not really a safe seat, but obviously it's R barring events or massive waves. Not a true marginal like the 2nd and 8th, under either map.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

@Lewis your Fourth district would be Kokomo-Lafyette.

[jimrtex]

Not one but two "fair" maps of Indiana!

Didn't the legislature already pass a fair map?

[minionofmidas]

Not one but two "fair" maps of Indiana!

Didn't the legislature already pass a fair map?

LOL.

[Bo]

For fun, here's a Dem gerrymander:



Blue - 59-40 Obama
Green - 56-43 Obama
Purple - 62-37 McCain
Red - 55-44 Obama
Yellow - 59-39 McCain
Teal - 58-41 McCain
Grey - 68-31 Obama
Light Purple - 53-46 Obama
Sky Blue - 57-41 McCain

Nice job, but it would be more effective if you would give some of Indianapolis's extra Democrats to the red and light purple districts. The resulting map would be messier, but it would get the job done.

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

Nice job, but it would be more effective if you would give some of Indianapolis's extra Democrats to the red and light purple districts. The resulting map would be messier, but it would get the job done.

The problem there is that, in order to get to the Democrats in Indianapolis, the red and light purple districts will have to pass through some of the most Republican areas of the state, thereby minimizing the potential gain.

[tmthforu94]

I got bored, so spent the last hour or two making this map. Something felt weird as I was nearing the end, since the Walorski district was getting too big, and I realize I only clicked for 8 districts instead of 9. But I'll post this anyways. Pretend for a minute Indiana lost a congressional district last cycle!



Crimson - Obama 62, McCain 37
Creamish White  - McCain 52, Obama 47
Teal - McCain 55, Obama 44
Purple - McCain 53, Obama 46
Yellow - McCain 54, Obama 45
Red - Obama 66, McCain 34
Green - McCain 54, Obama 45
Blue - McCain 53, Obama 46