Lattice Studies of Gerrymandering Strategies

Abstract

AbstractA new theoretical method for examining gerrymandering is presented based on lattice models of voters, in which districts are constructed by partitioning the lattice. We propose three novel algorithms for constructing equal-population, connected districts which favor the gerrymanderer and incorporate the spatial distribution of voters. Due to the probabilistic population fluctuations inherent to our voter models, Monte Carlo techniques can be applied to study the impact of gerrymandering. We use the method developed here to compare our different gerrymandering algorithms, show approaches which ignore spatial data lead to (legally prohibited) disconnected districts, and examine the effectiveness of isoperimetric quotient tests.