Post date: Nov 10, 2010 2:1:33 PM
Mason and Harvard Researchers Encourage Public Participation in Congressional Redistricting With New Website
Original posting: http://news.gmu.edu/articles/4605
Fairfax, VA (November 10, 2010) -- A team of researchers from George Mason University, the Brookings Institution, and Harvard University, in collaboration with Azavea, a Philadelphia-based software design company, is announcing the release of District Builder, a free, open-source web-based software that will enable greater public participation and transparency during the upcoming electoral redistricting process.
The project is funded by a grant to George Mason University from the Sloan Foundation and lead by Michael McDonald, associate professor of public and international affairs at George Mason University and Micah Altman, senior research scientist at Harvard University. An advisory board of prominent good government groups and redistricting experts is led by Thomas Mann at the Brookings Institution and Norman Ornstein at the American Enterprise Institute. Project details -- including instructions on how to access the mapping software -- can be found at www.publicmapping.org.
Together, the project's participants have articulated principles for public participation and transparency in redistricting.
"The drawing of electoral districts is among the least transparent processes in democratic governance," said McDonald, describing the problem identified by the project's participants. "All too often, redistricting authorities maintain their power by obstructing public participation. The resulting districts embody the goals of politicians to the detriment of the representational interests of communities and the public at large."
The participants seek to change the power imbalance held by redistricting authorities, by making it possible for the public to draw the boundaries of their communities and to generate redistricting plans for their state and localities.
"New technologies provide opportunities to broaden public participation in the redistricting process," said Altman. "Increasing transparency through this project can empower the public to shape the representation for their communities, promote public commentary and discussion about redistricting, inform legislators and redistricting authorities about configurations that their constituents support, and educate the public about the electoral process."
The project aims to be integrated into the electoral redistricting process in a number of areas. In states where redistricting authorities seek public input, the software could be used to help citizens build maps that truly represent their communities. Where redistricting authorities are not responsive to the representational needs of the public, maps drawn by the public may be used as a yardstick by which to compare a redistricting authority's plan against. In addition, when the courts must step in when the regular redistricting process breaks down, judges will have a greater menu of alternatives to consider due to the website's different mapping options.
About George Mason University
Named the #1 national university to watch in the 2009 rankings of U.S. News & World Report, George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University-Where Innovation Is Tradition.