Optimal redistricting under geographical constraints: Why "pack and crack" does not work

Clemens Puppe () and Attila Tasnádi

Economics Letters, 2009, vol. 105, issue 1, 93-96

Abstract: We show that optimal partisan redistricting with geographical constraints is a computationally intractable (NP-complete) problem. In particular, even when voter's preferences are deterministic, a solution is generally not obtained by concentrating opponent's supporters in "unwinnable" districts ("packing") and spreading one's own supporters evenly among the other districts in order to produce many slight marginal wins ("cracking").

Keywords: Districting; Gerrymandering; NP-complete; problems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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