Blake Esselstyn

27 posts published

Race and County Clusters in North Carolina

Race and County Clusters in North Carolina

Between the summer of 2019 and this summer, other North Carolinians and I have collectively written at least eight pieces with a total or partial focus on how North Carolina groups counties for legislative redistricting. But none of them have squarely addressed race. This post, published on the day the

An Appreciation of The ReDistricting Game (based on a premature misapprehension)

An Appreciation of The ReDistricting Game (based on a premature misapprehension)

A tribute to a delightfully thoughtful and educational redistricting game. Maybe folks should play it over the holiday break!

The List of Redistricting Software Tools, Updated for 2020

The List of Redistricting Software Tools, Updated for 2020

Looking for a listing of apps, data, programs, utilities, code or other interactive resources related to redistricting and gerrymandering? Look no further.

Web maps for exploring NC's new state legislative districts

Web maps for exploring NC's new state legislative districts

NC candidate filing is 12 days away—do you know where your districts are? These maps might help.

An overdue explanation of NC's county-grouping requirement for redistricting—special bonus included!

An overdue explanation of NC's county-grouping requirement for redistricting—special bonus included!

Why is the term 'cluster' so often used in conjunction with NC legislative maps? The answer's probably different from what you're thinking.

Redistricting Software Tools - An Annotated Listing

Redistricting Software Tools - An Annotated Listing

A curated list of redistricting software, including tools for plan creation as well as gerrymandering detection.

A Nationwide Gerrymandering Thought Experiment

A Nationwide Gerrymandering Thought Experiment

What if we could gerrymander not only within states but gerrymander the states themselves? The answer isn't pretty.

Two UNC Asheville Dorms Are Bisected by Gerrymandered District Boundaries

Two UNC Asheville Dorms Are Bisected by Gerrymandered District Boundaries

Students in adjacent rooms in two residence halls are represented by different Congressmen, and will vote for different candidates in this election.

Differences in Congressional District Population *Between* States: a Prologue

Differences in Congressional District Population Between States: a Prologue

The populations of different states' Congressional districts vary widely, but there are some interesting patterns in that variation.

Selected Webliography (Is That a Word?)

Selected Webliography (Is That a Word?)

An abbreviated list of resources identified in a talk about improving public understanding of redistricting and gerrymandering.

Important Redistricting Data is Missing from the NCGA Website

Important Redistricting Data is Missing from the NCGA Website

Looking for the database used for the 2017 NC redistricting, which took into account the 2016 voting patterns? It's not on the General Assembly website, so we uploaded it.

44 Years of Redistricting Consequences in 14 Seconds

44 Years of Redistricting Consequences in 14 Seconds

This motion chart animation highlights the supercharged packing and cracking of U.S. Congressional districts in 2011, and the effects on election outcomes.

Here Are Ten Insufficiencies In What the NCGA Has Provided for Judicial Redistricting Review

Here Are Ten Insufficiencies In What the NCGA Has Provided for Judicial Redistricting Review

As I write this post, less than three business days remain until the next meeting of the NCGA House Select Committee on Judicial Redistricting on September 27th. At that meeting, it seems that the new round of changes to the proposed judicial district maps (as of yet, still not publicly

A Limerick About North Carolina Judicial Gerrymandering

A Limerick About North Carolina Judicial Gerrymandering

Not sure whether this will become a Friday tradition, but I felt compelled to post a limerick today about HB 717. I tweeted it this morning, but in limiting it to 140 non-formatted characters, I had to sacrifice a bit of punctuation and emphasis. Here it is in full form:

Some Figures About HB717's Proposed District Court Districts

Some Figures About HB717's Proposed District Court Districts

Not having seen any coverage of the details of HB717's proposed changes to the judicial district maps, I thought I would investigate and post some myself. The figures below the graphic relate to the District Court Districts maps (simplified rendering of the proposed map below). Existing Proposed Number of

...And Now for the HB717 Superior Court Districts: A Way to Examine (NC)

...And Now for the HB717 Superior Court Districts: A Way to Examine (NC)

Earlier today I posted about HB717's proposed District Court districts, and provided a map to better explore them. The Superior Courts have fewer judges, but try more significant cases – it seemed worthwhile to provide a map to explore their proposed districts, too: .embed-container {position: relative; padding-bottom: 80%; height: 0; max-width:

Here's How the HB717 District Court Districts Divide Communities (NC)

Here's How the HB717 District Court Districts Divide Communities (NC)

If you live in one of North Carolina's eight most populous counties (and evidently about 40% of North Carolinians do), your county may soon be divided in a new way. All of these counties currently have a single District Court district, but the proposed House Bill 717 would split each

We Need More Information About the NCGA Proposed Maps

We Need More Information About the NCGA Proposed Maps

Imagine that your child's school cafeteria had recurring problems last year with food poisoning and peanut contamination (despite a no-peanut-allergen requirement). Then imagine that the cafeteria announced that it was allowing public scrutiny and investigation – by letting parents look at some photos of newly prepared dishes of food. That's what

Update on Public Hearing Sites (NC)

Update on Public Hearing Sites (NC)

News flash! Less than an hour ago, Representative Lewis tweeted that a new, seventh site had been added, rendering my previous post obsolete. I don't know if I'll have time to revise the maps showing the sites and racially gerrymandered districts, but here's an updated Google map:

How NC's Public Hearing Sites for New Maps Relate to Overturned Districts

How NC's Public Hearing Sites for New Maps Relate to Overturned Districts

[Updated 2:30 PM ET to include map showing distances.] Yesterday's announcement about the public hearing sites for comments on the proposed new maps raised a number of questions, not least of which is: why are the hearings located where they are? The map below (click to enlarge) shows where

Where the New NC Maps Provide No Suspense

Where the New NC Maps Provide No Suspense

What is the opposite of 'suspenseful'? During this month of suspense about the maps in North Carolina, it's worth pointing out that there are some aspects that are a foregone conclusion. The maps below are based on a pretty conservative reading of what the possibilities are based on the optimal

The Surprise Gift in Yesterday's Redistricting Court Order

The Surprise Gift in Yesterday's Redistricting Court Order

The late-in-the-day court order rejecting the special election and setting the timeline for the map redraw was, understandably, big news. But none of the coverage that I've seen or searched has pointed out a key sentence in that decision that could affect the way candidates run, and even how the

Where Are The Maps? (NC)

Where Are The Maps? (NC)

So it's a 31-day sprint – new legislative maps for North Carolina are supposed to be enacted by one month from today. The 28 racially gerrymandered districts need to be fixed quickly, but you'd be hard pressed to know which ones they are from the news. OK, maybe the General Assembly

If I Live Next To an Overturned District, Will My District Be Redrawn? (NC)

If I Live Next To an Overturned District, Will My District Be Redrawn? (NC)

The short answer is: not necessarily. But the long answer is worth understanding. I've heard from multiple sources recently (some of them otherwise well-informed) that not only will the 28 cited districts have to be redrawn, but all the ones adjacent to them will as well. It's not as simple

And now ... the Overturned NC House Districts Map

And now ... the Overturned NC House Districts Map

Late yesterday, we learned of another hearing related to the upcoming redrawing of legislative maps and special election to follow. My previous post introduced an interactive map of the NC Senate districts that were determined by the U.S. Supreme Court to have been racially gerrymandered. Now it's time to