How Prison - Based gerrymandering changes district lines
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How prison based gerrymandering changes district lines
This is New York State Assembly District one fourteen as it was drawn after the 2000 Census. Because District 114 is located in the corner of the state, it is one of the clearest examples to show how prison-based gerrymandering changes district lines.
The district was supposed to contain about 126,000 people. And according to the Census figures it does.
But the district only meets its required population count by claiming more than 9,000 people incarcerated in prisons as residents of the district.
Without using prisoners as padding, the district would need to add 9,000 more residents to meet population requirements.
But where can the district find more people?
We know that the district can't invade Canada and can't annex Vermont, so the district can't expand to the north or east.
Also, districts need to be contiguous, and New York State avoids making districts that split county lines.
Therefore, this district can only expand in one direction and must include these two towns.
This would cause a dramatic wave of line changes across the state, changing every district in the state.
As you can see, prisons have a big effect on how districts are drawn.
