patrick.net

Districts should be drawn up by county lines. If you live in a county that has 4 to 6 million people. Your representation shouldn't come at the expense of surrounding counties that has 2 million between them. It's not fair to those more rural and traditional counties, be chopped up a carved out to join 1 to 2 million from the larger county basically silencing those other counties for the will of the big blue County.

Sacramento politicians say we need to fight fire with fire, but Prop 50 is really setting fire to voter-approved independent redistricting. California shouldn’t follow Texas and other states to gerrymander its congressional maps.

We should continue to lead the country in showing that independent, citizen-led redistricting is the better path forward for fair, competitive elections. We can’t protect democracy by destroying it.

I haven't received my ballot, Patrick.

Have you?

I voted 'no' on the three surveys they texted me. That's probably why.

I haven't received my ballot, Patrick.

Have you?

I voted 'no' on the three surveys they texted me. That's probably why.

Blue Better to vote in person at the last minute if you can to make it harder for them to cheat.

I agree. How about the same test that legal immigrants have to pass to get citizenship?

Not that I even like English. 300 years ago, none of my ancestors spoke it.

Yesterday, NBC ran another encouraging story, headlined, “North Carolina lawmakers pass new map designed to give GOP an extra House seat.” It’s even better than that; technically, the new seat shifts the House +2 toward the GOP, since the move also eliminated a Democrat district. A small group of NC Democrats outside the state Senate building were mad. So much to protest, so little time.

Thanks to the state’s legislative supermajority, North Carolina’s Democrat Governor Josh Stein cannot veto the new map. “If I did have that power, I assure you I would veto this map,” Stein told the public in a social media video yesterday. The new map will be used for next year’s midterms.

Yesterday, NBC ran another encouraging story, headlined, “North Carolina lawmakers pass new map designed to give GOP an extra House seat.”

Ohio has approved a new congressional map that could give Republicans two additional House seats in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.

The move further strengthens the GOP’s position heading into a critical election cycle.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission voted unanimously Friday to adopt the new map, which favors Republicans in 12 of the state’s 15 congressional districts.

The Buckeye State now joins a growing list of Republican-led states redrawing their maps to solidify control of the U.S. House as part of a broader strategy encouraged by President Donald Trump.

Ohio has approved a new congressional map that could give Republicans two additional House seats in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.

Something baffles me about this image. I can't see how the described algorithm results in this map. I can understand the line segment in the upper left corner is the first one... But which line is the second line to be drawn? None of the lines seem to be possible with this algorithm.

Or it's just a fucking example image for an article where the target audience isn't supposed to be very bright with the possibility of it being sourced from a 6 fingered AI image generator.

Actually, I read up on the algorithms described at that url. The map is not from the algorithm described in the image... It's from a different algorithm that splits the state in halves progressively. That matches the map.

The text embedded in the map image is not the algorithm for the map.

A single Supreme Court decision is expected have a major impact on which party controls the U.S. House in 2026, with the ruling expected to secure a major boost for Republicans.

The pivotal case is Louisiana v. Callais, challenging Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The case may reshape congressional maps across the South and potentially net the GOP nine or more seats in the upcoming midterm elections.

During oral arguments two months ago, a majority of the conservative Supreme Court justices signaled skepticism about race-based congressional districts.

The practice is rooted in Section 2’s protections against voting discrimination based on race or color.

This provision has historically led to majority-minority districts, often benefiting Democrats in Republican-leaning states with significant black populations.

If struck down, as many as 30 districts with high black voter populations, over half in red states, could be redrawn, directly threatening Democratic Party strongholds.

Analysis from The New York Times suggests that scrapping these districts might reduce the number of Democrat-held seats in the South from 24 to half that number, with nine direct pickups for the GOP.

Analysis from The New York Times suggests that scrapping these districts might reduce the number of Democrat-held seats in the South from 24 to half that number, with nine direct pickups for the GOP.