The gerrymanders of New York State
A few figures from Citizen's Union's recent report on gerrymandering in New York State and what the org says is the resulting "pernicious decades-long erosion of our state's democracy and governance":
+ 96 percent of incumbents in the state legislature have been re-elected since 2002
+ the average margin of victory in contested races last year: 51 percent
+ 19 percent of general election state races were uncontested in 2010
Perhaps the most colorful of New York's gerrymanders: the Senate 51st -- AKA, "Lincoln Riding on a Vacuum Cleaner." Of course, the gerrymander's original habitat was Massachusetts.
[via @dannyhakim and NYDN]
Earlier on AOA:
+ Soapbox: Why I didn't vote last Tuesday
+ New York State ranked last in voter turnout
map: NYS LATFOR
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Comments
Yes, the vast majority of incumbents - if they are run for reelection - are reelected. But groups like CU always fail to mention the number or percentage of new members of the legislature since 2002. The 96% figure doesn't tell the whole story.
... said Eddie on Nov 29, 2011 at 3:19 PM | link