A Graph-Theoretic Approach for Creating Non-Gerrymandered Congressional Voting Maps

Ethan Rebello, Zachary Li, Jayanth Pandit, Lior Fishman

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Gerrymandering is one of the biggest problems in American democracy. Political parties use redistricting as a method of maintaining political control. A mathematical solution to political gerrymandering could create a more vibrant, fair democracy. We propose three algorithms - Ideal Partition, Cir-cular Engulfment, and LRPG - that use mathematical methods to create non-gerrymandered congressional maps with substantially less bias than current U.S. House of Representatives districts. Each method is a trade-off between speed, contiguity, and result variance. Ideal Partition creates districts that align with city divisions but with high time complexity. Circular Engulfment is quicker, but it has continuity issues and is better suited for modeling than for true district generation. LRPG is the fastest but only generates one set of districts. Our work showcases a novel mathematical model for non-gerrymandered congressional maps that could significantly improve the quality of democracy.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIEEE MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference, URTC 2023 - Proceedings
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
ISBN (Electronic)9798350308600
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2023
Externally publishedYes
Event2023 IEEE MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference, URTC 2023 - Hybrid, Cambridge, United States
Duration: 6 Oct 20238 Oct 2023

Publication series

NameIEEE MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference, URTC 2023 - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2023 IEEE MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference, URTC 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityHybrid, Cambridge
Period6/10/238/10/23

Keywords

  • continuity
  • district
  • gerrymander
  • precinct
  • underrepresentation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Signal Processing
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Computational Mathematics
  • Control and Optimization
  • Instrumentation

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