Redistricting Algorithms

TL;DR

This paper surveys existing algorithmic approaches to redistricting, discussing challenges and promising methods, aiming to improve the fairness and effectiveness of district drawing through computational techniques.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of current algorithmic redistricting methods, highlighting what works, what doesn't, and potential future directions.

Findings

Identifies key challenges in algorithmic redistricting

Highlights promising approaches for fair districting

Provides a comprehensive survey of existing methods

Abstract

Why not have a computer just draw a map? This is something you hear a lot when people talk about gerrymandering, and it's easy to think at first that this could solve redistricting altogether. But there are more than a couple problems with this idea. In this chapter, two computer scientists survey what's been done in algorithmic redistricting, discuss what doesn't work and highlight approaches that show promise. This preprint was prepared as a chapter in the forthcoming edited volume Political Geometry, an interdisciplinary collection of essays on redistricting. (https://mggg.org/gerrybook)