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Gerrymandering now legal in the US

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  • 29-06-2006 12:22pm
    #1
    Hobbes
    Registered Users Posts: 21,264 ✭✭✭✭


    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5126242.stm

    Although it is with the stipulation that it can't upset minority groups in doing so.

    I guess moving to Ohio will no longer be an option to swing an election anymore?


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    #2
    Glenbhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭Glenbhoy


    And I always thought it was Derrymandering, given how the city council used to be unionist dominated despite the fact that the population was approx 90% nationalist!!


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    #3
    sceptre
    Registered Users Posts: 19,608 ✭✭✭✭sceptre


    Glenbhoy wrote:
    And I always thought it was Derrymandering,
    It's a reference to Elbridge Gerry, later US vice-president when he redrew a number of electoral boundaries to disadvantage opponents in Massachusetts. Looked like a salamander apparently, a wag rechristened it a gerrymander in a well-known cartoon.

    In the 70s we had Tullymandering (after James Tully) in Ireland, both sides of the divide were up to the same thing here.
    given how the city council used to be unionist dominated despite the fact that the population was approx 90% nationalist!!
    I'd check your figures there but it's still quite a reasonable example. Given that gerrymandering isn't all that uncommon in various countries we could probably do without this turning into a thread about Derry or anywhere else in Northern Ireland.


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    #4
    Glenbhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭Glenbhoy


    I'd check your figures there but it's still quite a reasonable example. QUOTE]
    Indeed the original post was made for reasons of emphasis. The actual figures for 1967 were:
    Unionist population - approx 32%, representatives on council - 14 from 19 (74%)
    Nationalist population - approx 68%, representatives on council - 5 from 19 (26%)
    Given that gerrymandering isn't all that uncommon in various countries we could probably do without this turning into a thread about Derry or anywhere else in Northern Ireland
    But equally as this is one of the best (most extreme) examples, why not mention it here?


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