Beyond Gerrymandering: Establishing a Compactness Benchmark for Redistricting

Evaluating the compactness of political districts is a crucial yet complex task in the redistricting process. Although a substantial amount of literature exists on this topic, including numerous methods to quantify compactness, there is no standard measure or threshold for what constitutes an “acceptable” level of compactness.

Various metrics have been developed to assess the compactness of legislative districts, and while these measures are often highly correlated, they differ in methodology and focus. Social scientists, geographers, and mathematicians are continuously creating new methods to evaluate compactness. Law review articles frequently discuss the role of compactness in redistricting and whether judges should rely on these measures when evaluating the legality and fairness of district maps.

However, what remains missing in the discourse is a clear standard or threshold for compactness. It is relatively straightforward to compare two maps and conclude that one produces more compact districts than the other. Still, it is far more challenging to assert that a particular set of districts fails to meet a defined standard for compactness.

To address this gap, I would like to see measures of the compactness of geographic shapes that are created naturally or through processes not influenced by gerrymandering or concerns for re-election. By examining the typical compactness of countries, states, counties, and naturally occurring geographic shapes like islands and lakes, it may be possible to establish a benchmark for compactness. There are various collections of shapefiles available for this task and computer programs to measure their compactness based on different metrics. This research could provide a baseline and standard for evaluating compactness, allowing us to assess whether the compactness of districts created through redistricting is more or less consistent with shapes formed through natural or non-partisan processes.

Establishing such a standard could advance academic research by offering an objective measure against which to assess the fairness of district maps. Additionally, it would provide clearer guidance for courts and policymakers involved in the redistricting process, helping to ensure that the creation of political districts adheres to principles of fairness and minimizes partisan advantage.