A Partisan Solution to Partisan Gerrymandering: The Define-Combine Procedure

67 Pages Posted: 1 Sep 2022

See all articles by Maxwell Palmer

Maxwell Palmer

Boston University - Department of Political Science

Benjamin Schneer

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Kevin DeLuca

Harvard University

Date Written: August 2022

Abstract

Redistricting reformers have proposed many solutions to the problem of partisan gerrymandering but they all require either bipartisan consensus or the agreement of both parties on the legitimacy of a neutral third party to resolve disputes. In this paper we propose a new method for drawing district maps, the Define-Combine Procedure, that substantially reduces partisan gerrymandering without requiring a neutral third party or bipartisan agreement. One party defines a map of 2N equal-population contiguous districts. Then the second party combines pairs of contiguous districts to create the final map of N districts. Using real-world geographic and electoral data, we use simulations and map-drawing algorithms to show that this procedure dramatically reduces the advantage conferred to the party controlling the redistricting process and leads to less biased maps without requiring cooperation or non-partisan actors.

Suggested Citation

Palmer, Maxwell and Schneer, Benjamin and DeLuca, Kevin, A Partisan Solution to Partisan Gerrymandering: The Define-Combine Procedure (August 2022). HKS Working Paper No. RWP22-012, 2022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4205710 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4205710

Maxwell Palmer

Boston University - Department of Political Science ( email )

United States

Benjamin Schneer (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Kevin DeLuca

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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