Gerrymandering the States

[minionofmidas]

Okay, off the top off my head:
1 Reunite East and West Massachusetts! (49 states)
2 Unite New Hampshire and Vermont (48)
3 Long Island Statehood Now! (49)
4 THe remainder of New York City, as well as Westchester and Rockland Counties, is fused with North Jersey as New York State (50)
5 Upstate New York renamed, say, Iroquoia (still 50)
6 Not sure what I'll do with South Jersey yet...
7 When Michigan State was created, it did not include the UP, which was only added when Wisconsin Territory was organized (I think. The exact timeline may be wrong, but it was something like that.) Upper Michigan might easily have become a state of its own, in which case it would probably have more inhabitants, better infrastructure etc now. I'll hereby make it one, to be named Chippewa. (51)
8 Nebraska expanded to the boundaries of Douglas's NE Territory (49)
9 Ah yes, of course: South Jersey merged with Delaware and the Eastern Shore (48)
10 DC merged with Maryland (still 48)
11 Virginia reunited (46 - this includes Kentucky)
12 Carolinas united (44 - this includes Tennessee)
13 East and West Florida split (45). West Florida returned to former size (Coastal strips of Alabama and Mississippi and "Florida Parishes" of Louisiana added)
14 Eastern Oklahoma remains Indian Territory (still 45)
15 Texas split in five, based on Dallas, Houston, Austin/San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley and the Panhandle (49)
16 Wyoming fused with Montana (48)
17 Idaho is a fantasy word and will be renamed. (still 48)
18 Taylor's greater New Mexico of NM, AZ, CO and UT. (45)
19 Like Idaho, Washington will be renamed. (still 45)
20 California split in two. (46)
21 Alaska never purchased. (45)
22 Hawaii never annexed. (44)

[minionofmidas]

Okay, off the top off my head:
1 Reunite East and West Massachusetts! (49 states)
2 Unite New Hampshire and Vermont (48)
3 Long Island Statehood Now! (49)
4 THe remainder of New York City, as well as Westchester and Rockland Counties, is fused with North Jersey as New York State (50)
5 Upstate New York renamed, say, Iroquoia (still 50)
6 Not sure what I'll do with South Jersey yet...
7 When Michigan State was created, it did not include the UP, which was only added when Wisconsin Territory was organized (I think. The exact timeline may be wrong, but it was something like that.) Upper Michigan might easily have become a state of its own, in which case it would probably have more inhabitants, better infrastructure etc now. I'll hereby make it one, to be named Chippewa. (51)
8 Nebraska expanded to the boundaries of Douglas's NE Territory (49)
9 Ah yes, of course: South Jersey merged with Delaware and the Eastern Shore (48)
10 DC merged with Maryland (still 48)
11 Virginia reunited (46 - this includes Kentucky)
12 Carolinas united (44 - this includes Tennessee)
13 East and West Florida split (45). West Florida returned to former size (Coastal strips of Alabama and Mississippi and "Florida Parishes" of Louisiana added)
14 Eastern Oklahoma remains Indian Territory (still 45)
15 Texas split in five, based on Dallas, Houston, Austin/San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley and the Panhandle (49)
16 Wyoming fused with Montana (48)
17 Idaho is a fantasy word and will be renamed. (still 48)
18 Taylor's greater New Mexico of NM, AZ, CO and UT. (45)
19 Like Idaho, Washington will be renamed. (still 45)
20 California split in two. (46)
21 Alaska never purchased. (45)
22 Hawaii never annexed. (44)

Obviously, the point was not a partisan one...It's more an alternative version of what might have happened that is at points purposefully unrealistic but is not supposed to beimpossible.

[minionofmidas]

Most partisan gerrymander I can think off...
Declare every precinct of Macon Co. a state of the Union and keep everything else as unorganized territory!

[minionofmidas]

Another idea: Make the states roughly equal! (If we keep 50 states, that's roughly 8,7 Districts per state.) That way, we'd eliminate the "small state advantage" by eliminating the small states. (Very useful if you want to know if Bush's base was indeed more spread out!)

So...
1) Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Western Massachusetts
2) Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island
3) Connecticut, suburban Long Island
etc...