Electoral Geography Do Now: How are red states different from blue states?

Geography and Voting Behavior How can geography help us understand how people vote (in the U.S.)?in the U.S – Church affiliation Evangelical Protestant Catholic Jewish Mormon – Ethnic background White Black Hispanic Asian – Educational attainment College level or more – Income level

2012 Presidential Election

Territorial Representation Representation by major territorial unit (State) – Senate – House of Representatives Single member districts Reapportionment Census Redistricting – Equal representation – Compact – Contiguous – Keep political units intact (e.g., counties) – Representational equality of racial and linguistic minorities

Gerrymandering Redistricting in order to give a partisan electoral advantage “That’s not the voters choosing their representatives; that’s the representatives choosing their voters.”

The ReDistricting Game Let’s Play!