US with Canadian parties

[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.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

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.

[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.

[Bacon King]

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.

I did mention earlier that my Georgia map should just be considered a first draft

The question of what to do with Houston County was one of the big questions I had. It's a suburb of Macon, so it definitely has major economic connections with the city, but demographically and politically Houston and Bibb Counties are polar opposites that otherwise have more in common with other areas around them.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

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.

Thanks! York--Gettysburg and Lancaster are the parts of the state I'm most familiar with in any case. I look forward to seeing what you come up with for the central part!

[Bacon King]

Here's a noticeably improved Georgia map.



Douglas County goes much better with Atlanta than with Cobb, for starters. I'm still not very happy with the five Southern districts, but they're better than they were. The Macon district and the Athens-Augusta district are both around 15% underpopulated; I don't know if that's significant enough to be an issue. I like the boundary between the (DRA colors) 1st and 8th districts; the Okefenokee forms a natural barrier there in the south.

[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).

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

And here we are!

[Bacon King]

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.

[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.

[Bacon King]

The split is the Mississippi River. West Jefferson is the west bank of the Mississippi (i.e., the southern half of the parish), while east Jefferson is northern half. I know it doesn't make too much sense, but that's what the locals call it.

[Hatman 🍁]

Why not call the purple district Acadiana and the red district Florida Parishes?

[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).

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'm currently spending some time working on Texas. I'll want feedback on several of the rural ridings.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

TEXAS









Ridings, DRA color order:

Beaumont--Port Arthur--Livingston. Normally Tory, might be amenable to a Grit very occasionally. Formerly Grit.
Nacogdoches--Tyler--Marshall. Tory.
Texarkana--Denison. Tory.
Collin. Tory.
Denton. Tory.
Trinity River. Tory.
Dallas South--Grand Prairie. Formerly Grit, now Dipper.
Dallas Center. Formerly Grit, now Dipper, but might fall Tory in waves.
Dallas North--Mesquite--Garland. Tory.
Arlington. Tory.
Irving--Benbrook. Tory.
Fort Worth. Swingy, would more likely than not go Tory in 2011 but might more normally lean Grit. Would probably not go Dipper except with a very good, preferably Hispanic candidate.
Wichita Falls--Cleburne. One of the most hardcore Tory ridings in the entire country.
Waco. Usually Tory, would be open to the right Grit.
San Angelo--Hill Country--San Marcos. Tory, Tory, Tory.
Abilene--Amarillo. Tory as the day God made it.
Llano Estacado. Do I really even need to say it?
El Paso. Grit/Dipper?! Good heavens, really?!
Rio Grande. Whichever party the Hispanics in the area vote for, probably Dipper at this point, I would think.
Hidalgo. Almost as Grit/Dipper as Wichita Falls--Cleburne is Tory.
Brownsville--Corpus Christi. Somewhat marginal Grit, could go either Tory or Dipper in 2011.
Austin. Dipper to the core.
Round Rock--Pflugerville. Somewhat more marginal Tory than most non-urban, non-Hispanic Texas ridings, but still relatively safe.
San Antonio Center. Hardcore Dipper.
San Antonio North--Cross Mountain. Tory.
San Antonio South--Victoria. Tory.
Galveston--Matagorda. Tory.
Sugar Land--Rosenberg--Hempstead. Usually Tory.
College Station--The Woodlands. If possible, might actually be harder-line Tory than Wichita Falls--Cleburne.
Houston East. Tory.
Houston South East. Grit/Dipper.
Houston West. Tory.
Houston South West. Grit/Dipper.
Houston North Central. Grit/Dipper.
Houston North. Tory.

The Houston ridings could have 'Harris' substituted in their names. I'm really unsure about San Antonio South--Victoria but I don't know what else to do in that area.

[Hatman 🍁]

Houston should have a central riding, no?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

If you look at a demographic map of Houston the ethnic communities of interest kind of radiate outward in sectors. I'll do another Harris map with a central riding, though, and we can decide which we like better.

ETA:



Houston Center, Houston East, Houston West, Harris East, Harris North, Harris West (or Houston East-Central, Houston West-Central, Houston East, Houston North, Houston West).

I really like the first way better. Houston just divides much more naturally into segments than it does into rings.

[Hatman 🍁]

Maybe. But usually the central parts of cities tend to be politically different then the rest of the city.  I must admit though, I don't know Houston that well.

[Bacon King]

I also want to do provincial assemblies. I would combine state houses+senate into one assembly and divide the state up into as many districts. For example, Wyoming (60 House+30 Senate=90 MLAs)

I began doing this with Georgia, but was quickly overwhelmed at the prospect of drawing 236 district with a ~40k population each manageable, certainly, but tough. Now, New Hampshire I'm sure will be essentially impossible.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Maybe. But usually the central parts of cities tend to be politically different then the rest of the city.  I must admit though, I don't know Houston that well.

Not really, in the case of Houston. Or rather, the left-leaning central part of Houston is large enough for several ridings, which are most naturally divided in sectors. Here's a demographic map of Harris County, for what it's worth:

[Hatman 🍁]

I also want to do provincial assemblies. I would combine state houses+senate into one assembly and divide the state up into as many districts. For example, Wyoming (60 House+30 Senate=90 MLAs)

I began doing this with Georgia, but was quickly overwhelmed at the prospect of drawing 236 district with a ~40k population each manageable, certainly, but tough. Now, New Hampshire I'm sure will be essentially impossible.

Yeah, I gave up when I tried to do Vermont. Some of the precincts were larger than districts.

[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).

[Hatman 🍁]

Outer Columbus looks contiguous to me. I wouldn't call it outer Columbus though, perhaps I'd name the riding after the county.

[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.