[EL] DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 3/22: Common Cause "Gerrymander Standard" Contest

[Thomas J. Cares]

Maybe i'm more of a policy guy than a law guy and perhaps should not really
contemplate attempting this, but I would think:

Anything that forfeits compactness, and also has a result that increases
packing, and also where the voters of the district's largest party
outnumbers that of the 2nd largest party by more than 10% of *all*
registered voters, should not be allowed to make that forfeiture of
compactness for said packing purposes.

Is that any good, or possibly a good start?

On Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 4:01 PM, Dan Vicuna <DVicuna at commoncause.org> wrote:

>  Due to recent interest as a result of the Arizona redistricting case in
> the U.S. Supreme Court, Common Cause has decided to extend the deadline for
> our “Gerrymander Standard” writing competition
> <http://www.commoncause.org/gerrymanderstandard>. *The new deadline is
> Sunday, March 22.* Submission details are below.
>
>
>
> Dan Vicuna
>
> National Redistricting Coordinator
>
> Common Cause
>
> Cell: (571) 218-6135
>
> Twitter: @DanVicuna <https://twitter.com/danvicuna>
>
> www.commoncause.org/redistricting
>
>
>
>
>
> *“Gerrymander Standard” Writing Competition Submission Requirements *
>
>
>
> *Overview/Theme: *Common Cause welcomes all papers creating a new
> definition for partisan gerrymandering or further developing an existing
> definition. Practitioners, scholars, and students from a wide variety of
> academic disciplines are encouraged to submit papers. The judging committee
> will include leading academics in the democracy field. Authors of the top
> three papers will receive a cash prize and an offer of publication in
> Election Law Journal. The deadline is Sunday, March 22, 2015.
>
>
>
> *Submission Requirements: *
>
> *Deadline*: Submissions must be emailed to contest at commoncause.org by
> Sunday, March 22. Papers sent after this date will not be considered.
>
>
>
> *Eligibility*: Any individual may submit a paper. Submissions are *not *restricted
> by student status or academic discipline.
>
>
>
> *Content*: Papers will be judged on their effective definition and
> analysis of partisan gerrymandering. Please do not put your name or other
> identifying information anywhere in your paper. List your name, phone
> number, and address only in the body of your cover email.
>
>
>
> *Format*: Submissions must be original unpublished academic works. The
> length must be between 25 and 50 pages, including footnotes. The text of
> the paper must be in double-spaced 12-point Courier New font with 1-inch
> margins. Footnotes may be in single-spaced 10-point font.
>
>
>
> *Judging Process*: All submissions will go through an initial screening
> process among Common Cause legal staff. The finalists from that process
> will then be reviewed by a panel of judges made up of election law experts.
> This panel will select the top three papers among the finalists.
> Submissions will be judged on their depth of legal analysis, quality of
> writing, readiness for publication, originality, thoroughness of research,
> relevance to the development of a new standard for partisan gerrymandering,
> and discussion of conclusions and future impact. The winners will be
> announced in May 2015.
>
>
>
> *Award*: The author(s) of the top submission will receive $5,000, 2nd
> place will receive $3,000, and 3rd place will receive $2,000. If more than
> one author submits a winning paper, prize money will be divided between
> them. All will be eligible for publication in Election Law Journal. Common
> Cause will cover travel expenses for up to two authors per paper to travel
> to Washington, DC to present their papers.
>
>
>
> *Entry Fee*: There is no entry fee.
>
>
>
> *Previous Publication/Use*: No paper previously published will be
> considered. However, papers currently being considered for publication,
> papers related to research done by the author(s) and/or submitted to
> fulfill a course requirement or law journal credit requirements may be
> submitted. Submissions should not yet have undergone significant editing by
> journal editors or others. If a paper is currently being considered for
> publication, the author(s) should consult the editors of the alternative
> journal to make sure that entry in this competition will not interfere with
> his/her opportunity for publication in that journal.
>
>
>
> *Additional Questions*: Check www.commoncause.org/gerrymanderstandard for
> updates or email contest at commoncause.org with questions.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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