It's gone from annoying, to sad, to pathetic.

[muriel_volestrangler]

155. There's no 'perfectly fair' algorithm you can give a computer

You have to make some decision for the principles you'll use; I think 'non-partisan judges' are the way to go (in the UK, we have non-partisan commissions, to which individuals and political parties can submit ideas on how to divide up constituencies, but the commissions get the final say; there are guidelines they have to follow, such as 'use existing county, city and borough lines where possible').

For instance, say you have an average population per district of 700,000 for a state, and a city with an urban population of about 1,400,000, and suburban areas around it of another 700,000 or so. Do you divide the city into 2 urban districts, and then surround them with a ring-shaped district consisting entirely of suburbs? Or create 3 districts which all reach into the city center, but also extend out to the suburbs, having 2/3rd population urban, and 1/3 suburban? Does someone in a suburb have more in common with the suburb on the far side of the city, or with the bit of the city right next to them?