OPINION:
Anyone with children has heard the line, “He/she started it.” Both Republicans and Democrats engage in gerrymandering; yet each side complains when the other does it. It is so childish.
Seldom does anyone proffer a solution to the problem because neither party really wants one. We need an adult to step in.
Here is a solution: Congress or the Supreme Court should mandate that congressional district boundaries be drawn purely on population, without race or party affiliation considered. This is what Virginia currently has.
The technology to create apolitical district boundaries is decades-old. An algorithm creates “optimally compact,” equal-population congressional districts in each state, based on U.S. Census data. It draws districts that respect the boundaries of Census blocks, which are the smallest geographic units used by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Doing this would make the district boundaries reflect actual neighborhoods. Unlike in gerrymandering, factors such as race, party affiliation, income levels, religion and ethnic background are not considered. The only times a district might be elongated like a snake would be due to the topography of the land (e.g., a river, peninsula or mountain range).
The voters would have final approval of the redrawn boundaries in a referendum. In the alternative, a non-partisan commission like the one Virginia has would do so.
The result would be that neither political party will be totally happy, but the citizens will get the representation they deserve.
Cmdr. WAYNE L. JOHNSON
Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy (retired)
Alexandria, Virginia
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