I'm not inclined to see this as a problem.

But it's related to a project I'm working on, so I thought I'd mention that without intending to divert the discussion.  In Michigan, when counties redistrict after the census to make county commissioner districts equal in population, the commission in charge of the process can change the number of districts.  This year about 30% of Michigan's counties opted to change this number.  Allowing this clearly undercuts the norm Jim Gardner was suggesting, and the fact that some counties opt for bigger county commissions and some opt for smaller suggests that they don't find Gardner's norm compelling.

I'm not sure what other states might allow this kind of change during redistricting.  If anyone knows of other states where it's an option, I'd appreciate hearing about it.  As well as about anything anyone's written on the topic.

In Michigan, the redistricting commission consists of a Republican party official, a Democratic party official, and the county treasurer, clerk, and prosecutor.  The latter three are elected on a partisan ballot, so one party always has a majority for redistricting.  Whether party is a dominant force in the decisions isn't clear.  I'm trying to collect enough data on the Michigan experience in 2002 to see what might be going on.

John


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John R. Chamberlin                                 Email:  johnch@umich.edu
Professor of Political Science                  Phone:  734-763-0689
   and Public Policy                                 Fax:734-763-9181
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
413 Lorch Hall
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI