Interesting note about California election results

[Little-Acorn]

The California state government has an Assembly with 80 seats, and a state Senate with 40 seats. Both houses are heavily Democrat, with a smaller number of Republicans in each. The entire Assembly is up for election every 2 years, and half the Senate is up for election every 2 years.

The state has been a real mess for the last several years. It's the most heavily indebted state in the union, with Democrats struggling to increase spending and taxes, and Republicans trying to resist any increases in either spending or taxes.

The interesting part?

This year, huge numbers of U.S. Govt seats changed parties nationally.

But not a single seat in either Calif state govt house, changed parties.

Not one.

That's the power of gerrymandering. The process where politicians draw their own voting districts, to take in this isolated groups of Dem-voting houses here while avoiding that group of Repub-voting houses over there, etc. It tends to produce voting districts that look like an insect splattered on a windshield.

With all the grief and complaining and accusations flying and the state teetering on the edge of bankruptcy... not one voting district thought that it might be a good idea to vote in the other party for a change.

NOT ONE.

The good news? Next year, the districts will be re-drawn, as they are after every decennial census. And this time, instead of the politicians themselves deciding who gets to vote for them, the re-drawing task will be turned over to an independent panel of judges and other such "nonpartisan" people. At least, we hope they are nonpartisan.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

The California state government has an Assembly with 80 seats, and a state Senate with 40 seats. Both houses are heavily Democrat, with a smaller number of Republicans in each. The entire Assembly is up for election every 2 years, and half the Senate is up for election every 2 years.

The state has been a real mess for the last several years. It's the most heavily indebted state in the union, with Democrats struggling to increase spending and taxes, and Republicans trying to resist any increases in either spending or taxes.

The interesting part?

This year, huge numbers of U.S. Govt seats changed parties nationally.

But not a single seat in either Calif state govt house, changed parties.

Not one.

That's the power of gerrymandering. The process where politicians draw their own voting districts, to take in this isolated groups of Dem-voting houses here while avoiding that group of Repub-voting houses over there, etc. It tends to produce voting districts that look like an insect splattered on a windshield.

With all the grief and complaining and accusations flying and the state teetering on the edge of bankruptcy... not one voting district thought that it might be a good idea to vote in the other party for a change.

NOT ONE.

The good news? Next year, the districts will be re-drawn, as they are after every decennial census. And this time, instead of the politicians themselves deciding who gets to vote for them, the re-drawing task will be turned over to an independent panel of judges and other such "nonpartisan" people. At least, we hope they are nonpartisan.

I am sure you would cry if the state was called...say ...texas....you don't think republicans do the same damn thing in states? lol keep that head in the sand..

 

[Little-Acorn]

LOL..... looks like I've picked up a groupie, apparently. He follows me around, and hastily posts empty stuff in every thread I put up: the usual subject changes, profanity etc. Hard to imagine leading such a useless existence, but there he is.

Back to the subject:
One has to wonder what the results of the redistricting will be. Voting districts in California have formerly been drawn by the very politicians the voters would vote for. This provides prime opportunities to include in their districts, people they know will vote for them, and exclude people who won't. I wish I could stack the deck at work that way for myself. My raises would be a LOT bigger, and assignments a lot easier - I'd make sure of it!

But this "independent panel" that will now draw the districts, might actually come out with something sensible. Meaning, the districts would be radically different from what we have now.

It would actually be an interesting computer application. Given a map showing a dot for every 25 people (say) across the state (or every 20 registered voters etc.), how could you draw districts the most regular-shaped, that would still have roughly equal numbers of people in each, without missing any voters? Maybe a version of the expanding-balloon algorithm?

 

[BigRob]

I am sure you would cry if the state was called...say ...texas....you don't think republicans do the same damn thing in states? lol keep that head in the sand..

I am going to point out that in Texas the breakdown of the State House of Reps was 77-74 (R controlled) in from 2008-2010. With the last election, Republicans now control 99 house seats in Texas. Clearly, those districts are not as gerrymandered as you are attempting to claim.

 

[steveox]

This is why GOD needs to do his job sending an 10-8 earthquake to shake up Los Angeles or San Fran. If GOD doesnt do his job then this guy should take care of California.

California needs to go. Cause nobody would sell them to Mexico.

 

[Rick]

In california, hispanics went 80% for the leftwingers. People should note that the main place where the teap party didn't kick butt was the southwest - harry reid won in nevada, also with huge hispanic support, and barbara boxer managed a close victory in california, also some senate guy in colorado. Hispanics made the difference in all theses races. People who became citizens in the 1986 amnesty, and now their children, and the people they brought in by chain migration, are all voting for the leftwing. This is a foretaste of what is going to happen in the future. The 1986 amnesty was a million people. The one the leftwingers are attempting would be around 20 million people if the economy recovers - think the effect THAT will have, if just the 1986 amnesty could produce the results it did in this election. In 2012, a conservative GOP president will have ONE CHANCE to boot the illegals - otherwise, in 20 years, the US will become essentially a second mexico.

 

[PLC1]

The California state government has an Assembly with 80 seats, and a state Senate with 40 seats. Both houses are heavily Democrat, with a smaller number of Republicans in each. The entire Assembly is up for election every 2 years, and half the Senate is up for election every 2 years.

The state has been a real mess for the last several years. It's the most heavily indebted state in the union, with Democrats struggling to increase spending and taxes, and Republicans trying to resist any increases in either spending or taxes.

The interesting part?

This year, huge numbers of U.S. Govt seats changed parties nationally.

But not a single seat in either Calif state govt house, changed parties.

Not one.

That's the power of gerrymandering. The process where politicians draw their own voting districts, to take in this isolated groups of Dem-voting houses here while avoiding that group of Repub-voting houses over there, etc. It tends to produce voting districts that look like an insect splattered on a windshield.

With all the grief and complaining and accusations flying and the state teetering on the edge of bankruptcy... not one voting district thought that it might be a good idea to vote in the other party for a change.

NOT ONE.

The good news? Next year, the districts will be re-drawn, as they are after every decennial census. And this time, instead of the politicians themselves deciding who gets to vote for them, the re-drawing task will be turned over to an independent panel of judges and other such "nonpartisan" people. At least, we hope they are nonpartisan.

Yes, that is the good news. Once in a while, something good comes from our initiative process, and taking redistricting out of the hands of the legislature was one of them. That process was expanded this year with the passage of proposition 20.

Another thing I notices about our propositions was that there were no bonds on the ballot this time around. I've been voting against them for quite a while now, but this year didn't have one to vote against, and no commercials telling us how bonds "don't raise taxes."

 

[Apathy]

This is why GOD needs to do his job sending an 10-8 earthquake to shake up Los Angeles or San Fran. If GOD doesnt do his job then this guy should take care of California.

California needs to go. Cause nobody would sell them to Mexico.

Wish I were cool enough to wish harm on an entire state and its people. Damn Steve Ill never be as cool as you.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

I am going to point out that in Texas the breakdown of the State House of Reps was 77-74 (R controlled) in from 2008-2010. With the last election, Republicans now control 99 house seats in Texas. Clearly, those districts are not as gerrymandered as you are attempting to claim.

sure it is, just like here in MN and basicly any state that lets politicans draw the borders...

 

[BigRob]

sure it is, just like here in MN and basicly any state that lets politicans draw the borders...

Let me make sure I understand what you are saying...

You say districts are gerrymandered (depending on who controls the state houses) to ensure their parties remain in power...

I point out that in Texas (I think we can agree a red state), the State Leg. just had a 22 seat swing from D to R.

How is it if districts are drawn to be "safe", do you explain swings like that in which D seats turn R in such large numbers?

 

[PLC1]

This is why GOD needs to do his job sending an 10-8 earthquake to shake up Los Angeles or San Fran. If GOD doesnt do his job then this guy should take care of California.


California needs to go. Cause nobody would sell them to Mexico.

Maybe California should just secede from the union. Of course, it would take 12% of the nation's GDP and 9% of its population with it.

Bring back the Bear Flag Republic. While we're at it, let Texas secede also. They take more in federal taxes than they pay, so it would be a net gain for the 48 remaining states.

Not only that, but they could substitute creationism for evolution all they wanted.

 

[steveox]

Even Stallin would agree with me America needs to Develop a soviet Style government. Where nobody votes only the kremlin selects the politicans. Cause the people are stupid. They would put clowns into office If Obama was Russian in Russia yoiu think the Kremlin would choose him? NO WAY!! Thats why Russians had no bozos in the soviet era.The First and only Clown russian had after soviet era was Boris Yeltsin. The People voted for him and watch this clown.

You see why People shouldnt vote?