Partisan Gerrymandering is one of the primary reasons for our divisive politics. When politicians choose their voters to create “safe” districts, extreme positions can be advanced by either side. I was a quarter finalist for appointment to the independent redistricting commission in 2010, and attended and testified at many hearings. I even drew maps using the official software. I learned how this process was flawed and didn’t produce ideal results.

The way to end partisan Gerrymandering is to base districts strictly on geography. Eliminate all individual voter characteristics from consideration. Get rid of party registration, past voting patterns, demographic profiles, income level or any other personal identifying trait that might hint at voting preference. Do not add any of this information to the redistricting process. Stick strictly to the basic Census data: Alive and being a resident.

There must be some rules for doing this, as in the current law. Districts should be compact. It is logical to consider county and city boundaries. Districts should not span obvious geographic barriers like mountains. The sophisticated software available today enables you to drag district boundaries along geographic features and see a real time population count.

This reform would have to be by initiative, as no politician would ever propose it. The major hurdle to be overcome is whether the public is ready to think as individuals or as groups. While a person’s vote may reflect their affiliation with a group (political, ethnic, professional, etc.), their placement in a district would not. This means that the catch-all redistricting criteria of “community of interest” would be eliminated. There would be big push back on this, both from politicians and some members of the public fearful of going it alone.

The time may be right to give this a try, as the current redistricting wars show how cynical our political leaders are. Regardless of the outcome of Proposition 50, voters may be ready for the true reform promised by the independent commission that never happened.