Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Wisconsin gerrymandering spotlight on Assembly District 90: Packing Green Bay

 
What's wrong with this picture?

Packing Green Bay!  As we just saw here.
    
Source:  Wikipedia 

The UW Applied Population Lab defines 'cracking' as 
drawing districts in such a way as to divide a concentration of specific types of voters across several districts such that they are a minority in each one, with practically no hope of achieving representation in any of the districts. This practice also helps make districts less competitive. [emphasis added]
The UW Applied Population Lab defines 'packing' as 
the practice of drawing particular districts in such a way as to ensure that another party's candidate wins that seat by a tremendous margin. Although the opposing party is all but guaranteed the seat, packing makes surrounding districts less competitive, and thus tips the balance of power in the legislative body overall toward the ruling party.

The population of Green Bay is 107,114 (2020), enough to fill one full and most of a second compact Assembly district, all the while preserving a community of interest.  The population of Brown County is 264,660 (2020) enough to fill 4 compact districts and half of an adjoining one, perhaps shared with a portion of Oconto County.

Kristina Shelton (D-Green Bay) has represented the 90th district since January 2021.  She defeated her Republican challenger by 18 percentage points.

Despite the compactness of the district -- it is an urban area, after all -- there are plenty of GOP gerrymandering curiosities in the Exact-O knife details.


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