Measuring Political Gerrymandering

Abstract In 2018, a Pennsylvania court struck down the state’s congressional map due to unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering, and a new map was established in time for the midterm elections. Recent lawsuits alleging gerrymandering in Wisconsin, Maryland, and North Carolina have also caught the nation’s attention. The efficiency gap formula made headlines for the key role it played, particularly in the ongoing Wisconsin case. Since the introduction of this formula in 2014, the mathematics has moved forward more quickly than the courts, with alternative versions proposed, analyzed, and compared. Much of the relevant literature appears (or will appear) in political science and law journals, so we believe that the general mathematics audience might find benefit in a concise, self-contained overview of this application of mathematics that could have profound consequences for our democracy.

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