Subject: ACA 3
From: "J. Morgan Kousser" <kousser@HSS.CALTECH.EDU>
Date: 1/14/2005, 3:30 PM
To: election-law@majordomo.lls.edu

<x-flowed>   I'm a bit stumped not only by Karin's question about how the retired judges are supposed to make the districts competitive without (apparently) using partisan registration statistics, and how the judges will weigh compactness against competitiveness, but with a fundamental physical question:  The statewide registration disparity between the Democratic and Republican parties in October, 2004 was 8.3 percentage points.  But ACA 3 requires districts as nearly as practicable to differ by 7 percentage points.  What happens to the surplus Democrats?  Do we saw off San Francisco and Marin and let them float out to sea?  Do we force Bay Area folks not only to move to Modesto, but to change party registration when they do?
Morgan

Prof. of History and Social Science, Caltech
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