Gerrymandering has been in the news lately. Texas recently approved a mid-decade redistricting plan thought not without controversy and states like Illinois and California are looking at creating their own plan. The ongoing controversy is partisan in practice with Republicans assuring they remain in control of the house while Democrats want to insure their own political power.
With this said when you watch the video below, consider this video I posted last year from Mr. Beat where there is an argument to expand the US House of Representatives. Let's add to this the possibility of using proportional representation that insures minority parties doesn't get shut out.
Most other nations on the globe either elect their legislatures this way or at least form their governments via proportional representation. And with this to work to determine members of the US House of Representatives what might help this along is expanding the members of the House as Mr. Beat discusses.
IMHO, I think we do need to expand the number of Congresspersons (hey I like that better than Alderperson). I'm not entirely sold on proportional representation, but let's talk about it. We could expand this to state legislatures or even city councils (mostly big cities).
However, let's bear in mind this video is starting off talking about gerrymandering. The question is about creating fair maps.
Iowa is showing creating maps that largely considers county boundaries. Also why is there gerrymandering? These are districts drawn with political considerations and from what I know about redistricting in Illinois for example, it's to ensure that politicians get to retain their seats or more accurately to ensure politicians get to maintain their constituencies.
That means sometimes in other states outside of Iowa, cities might get split up between different districts. An example of Massachusetts the point was made that to ensure there is a Republican district there is to create a heavily gerrymandered map to elect one Republican there to Congress. Massachusetts was said to have voted 36% for Republican Donald Trump in 2024 for President, however, all Congresspersons elected from there are Democrats.
Has this video educated you on gerrymandering? Do you think we need to change how we draw our districts?
I wanted to write about the rejected designs that I really liked. However, we can further discuss those designs that Illinois' citizens can vote on as of last Friday, January 10th.
We can start with already established designs such as our state flag. Then we will look at those designs I really like submitted by Illinois residents.
I've included screen caps and the text with the designs, feel free to click these pics for a full view of these designs and accompanying text descriptions.
Two days ago we had an election. The sitting mayor of Chicago placed third in this election, she didn't make the run-off. Paul Vallas who was formerly the CEO of our public schools and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson failed to get to 50% of the vote and are in a run-off to take place on April 4, 2023.
Regardless we will have a new mayor on May 15, 2023.
Lightfoot proved to be abrasive and undiplomatic. She wasn't a politician and some may say she made all the rookie mistakes. She assumed she had the power thought not just a position or a title. She forgot that politics isn't subtraction it's addition.
She couldn't help but alienate people on the Chicago City Council. Indeed she lost a city council endorsement or two in the lead up to the election. The worst one when an Alderman had shot himself accidently and she failed to even check out him - wow! And of course what many would cite is that she definitely lost the voters who helped her in a runoff four years ago.
What's shocking is that the Black wards of the city still voted for her. But then I understand 83% of Chicago voters wanted Lightfoot gone.
Chicago is a solidly Democrat city. A Republican would have a difficult time winning in this city. Voters seem to only want to vote for a Democrat. With the two in the runoff I see a choice between a more law and order candidate vs a very progressive candidate who may well offer more of the same from Lightfoot.
I wish I can predict where this mayoral race will go on April 4. Vallas got a plurality but then again that's no guarantee he'll win the runoff. What will happen in a month's time.
Can Paul Vallas or Brandon Johnson get the endorsement of the other candidates and will allow one of them to take the mayor's office? Will Gov. JB Pritzker get involved in this race? Will Chicago choose the faces of the Fraternal Order or Police or of the Chicago Teacher's Union?
As for Lightfoot well she's a lame duck. I won't say her voice means nothing - and especially now she's still mayor as we learned a police officer was killed in a domestic incident. Her police chief is leaving - all candidates in this race wanted to fire David Brown save for his boss Lightfoot.
I see an opportunity for a new direction, even a city so heavily Democratic. Our city could reverse most of trends seen in other cities in America. Solve our many social issues - especially the homeless. Hopefully we can get a handle on violent crime in ways that Lightfoot wasn't able to.
And perhaps Chicago voters will recognize that so-called "progressive" policies are destructive.
[VIDEO] Mr. Beat's latest video just in time for the midterm elections this coming Tuesday. I haven't watched this video and am sure he doesn't discuss what's likely to happen on Tuesday, however, probably a plausible explanation that he may offer.
Democrats aren't as energized as perhaps Republicans and Independents might be. We have an unpopular Democrat President in Joe Biden and the Democrats in general are getting hammered as far as economic & public safety issues. Republicans and Independents are motivated to throw Democrats out of office up and down ballot.
So this probably shouldn't be a prediction post, I will offer one - although Mr. Beat probably isn't offering a prediction as he's explaining something - Republicans will take the US House. Democrats may hold I'm not convinced that will happen. Here in Illinois, status quo Darren Bailey won't beat Gov. Pritzker. I don't think Democrats are particularly energized anywhere in America. Just my two cents.
[VIDEO] To set up for tomorrow's post which I will make live at 9:00 AM Tuesday, I will today share Mr. Beat's video from almost two years ago about his criticisms of the Electoral College.
While voters right now are voting early or by mail to cast their ballots or waiting until Election Day to make their choices for President of the United States know one thing. When we cast our ballot for President Donald Trump & his running mate Vice President Mike Pence or for former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate US Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif) and of course whatever other third party candidates that are on the ballot, we're actually voting for a slate of electors. That's true in other states also.
Usually when we vote for a Republican, Democrat or a third party the parties themselves will have a slate of electors who will actually cast their vote for President & Vice President. By convention and not law they will vote for their party's candidates. This doesn't always happen as the US Supreme Court had to settle the issue of "faithless electors" who choose not to vote for their pledged candidates for President & Vice President.
Either way people have been complaining about this system for years enshrined in our US Constitution. Illinois has current 20 votes - and since we're in a census year that can change. Those 20 electoral votes are a combination of our 18 congressional seats - and if this state loses enough population we might go down one congressional district - and our two US Senate seats. That's true for every state and the District of Columbia although they're represented in Congress by a single non-voting delegate in the US House of Representatives, however, they have three electoral votes as if they're represented by two US Senators.
Either way the argument you might have heard is that in support of the Electoral College is that if we went to full popular vote only certain regions or states will determine the next President of the United States. So they might frequently cite New York, Massachusetts or California where most likely candidates will have to campaign hardest in to win the election. Meanwhile they may ignore the rest of the country including god-forbid Illinois.
Another argument about the electoral college is from what happened in 2016 which I will also share with you from Mr. Beat. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence won the election over former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Senate Tim Kaine in the electoral college, however, Trump/Pence lost the popular vote to Clinton/Kaine. 2016 wasn't the first time this happened, you might remember something like this happened in 2000 with Bush vs. Gore and there was a whole Supreme Court case about that. Bush won in the electoral college ultimately, however, he lost the popular vote.
Which brings up another state, we have essentially 50 states & Washington, D.C. maintaining separate elections. So if you're concerned about some states getting ignored consider how President Trump won, he knew which states he could win vs those he probably couldn't. It surprised observers when he won Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Those are shockers because they normally vote blue in Presidential elections and are referred to as part of the blue wall.
Regardless, let's hear it from you. Is it time the United States of America ditch the electoral college? Do you think it remains relevant in presidential elections?
I'm sharing this post from The Sixth Ward for those of you who live in both the 34th state representative and 17th state senate districts. Of course the changes that took place evidently occurred during the period where it was too late to change the names on the ballot. JP Paulus published this post on election day Tuesday.
You are NOT getting the people you are voting for as state representative and senator! https://t.co/TX5kkfA9R5
As happens with a retirement (there are other scenarios, but this is what happened in this case) the party "bosses" of a particular state legislative district decides who will finish the length of that term in that seat. So while Donne Trotter had actually retired just about two months before Tuesday's election his name remained on the ballot. He's no longer a state senator for the 17th district...
As for Elgie Sims, he was appointed by party bosses to finish Trotter's unfinished term and yet he reamins on ballot for his previous job as 34th district state representative. And those party bosses appoint Sims' successor Nicholas Smith and his name was not on the ballot for Tuesday's primary election.
JP Paulus makes a solid case for a special election to fill vacated state legislative seats. What do you all think?
Actually it's started as of this Monday for the March 20, 2018
primary elections. These are the early voting sites in the Ward 9,
however, if you want to find out sites for your respective ward feel
free to visit chicagoelections.com. The information is from an e-mail blast by the office of Ald. Anthony Beale (Ward 9).
Reminder: Early Voting March 5 thru March 19, 2018
For more information contact the Board of Elections (312) 269- 7900
Government-issued
photo ID is not required but is helpful if there is a question about
the voter's registration, address, signature or if there are two voters
with the same or similar names at the same address.
Not that I had been all over this, but aside from Donald Trump winning this state in his bid for the Republican nomination for President - the same with Hillary Clinton, btw. Also with longtime Congressman Bobby Rush beating his challenger Ald. Howard Brookins tonight. We have this.
I consider her response to a question about guns when Anita Alvarez first ran for Cook County State's Attorney. Her performance on 60 Minutesdiscussing Chicago being the false confession capital. And then the protests following the release of a video of a fatal confrontation with Laquan McDonald.
I share the pic above not only here but to our ig page just to share that someone is happy about Tuesday night's victory for the new Democratic nominee for State's Attorney Kim Foxx.
BTW, I have wondered people in other parts of the country and as it turns out suburban Cook County get those "I voted" stickers. Why don't we? DNA Info answers and unfortunately it took a few people to ruin it for everyone else as it turns out. :(
