The Gerrymandering problem

Guests: Carol Kuniholm, Jowei Chen

Donald Duck kicking Goofy.  That’s how many have described the ridiculous shape of Pennsylvania’s 7^th Congressional District; the most gerrymandered district in one of the country’s most gerrymandered states. Drawing congressional district lines, known as redistricting, has been a hotly contested issue for a long time.  The process is opaque and very political with incumbent parties aiming to retain their seats in the legislature. But reformers are hard at work trying to change the process to more accurately reflect the demographics of the states. In Pennsylvania, CAROL KUNIHOLM, founder of Fair Districts PA has been working with local organizations to end gerrymandering. She joins us on the show along with JOWEI CHEN, professor of political science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who studies the process of redistricting and its effects.