Colorado 2020 U.S. House Redistricting Discussion

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Did a fair CO map:

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

You can definitely make a Hispanic opportunity seat, but with CVAP numbers, it's still going to be dominated by whites, even in the Dem primary. I considered it but I ultimately decided against it, especially considering how it splits Denver and Aurora.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Why wouldn't you pair Jefferson with (most of the remainder of) Douglas as the leftover suburban counties? 

Because if you don't use Douglas, where else do you get the rest of the population for the eastern farmland district?

Weld and Pueblo Counties.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Obviously Denver can and should easily be kept whole at least IMO.

I actually disagree on that. The area out towards the airport really belongs in the Araphoe/Adams district in exchange for some of Aurora. It makes for a much cleaner map. I also disagree with a Douglas/Jefferson district. Jefferson+Clear Creek+Gilpin is almost a whole district (and those two counties very obviously belong with suburban Denver, not the Western Slope). I think cutting the Hispano area is okay considering the clear geographic separation between the Alamosa Valley and I-25 corridor. This is what I have:



I'm also going to draw a map with a Fort Collins-Greeley district, pairing Boulder with the Denver area instead. Arguably that better reflects urbanization patterns along the Front Range.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Boulder county should be split into two.
The Western part of Boulder is more like mountain area and definitely is more culturally in sync with the Western slopes than Longmont and Lafayette.
Any fair map of Colorado splits Boulder and puts some of it into CO-3 (or the equivalent)

Source: Unbiased Coloradan who wants to see the West Boulder-Grand Junction and Longmont/Greeley COIs kept whole.

You want to cross the Front Range like that and force SW Colorado in with the plains? No way!

Drawing the split like this is just way too obvious of a choice:

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

I'd like to note to everyone that there's empty mountains, rivers, lakes, parks, and reservoirs between Douglas and Jefferson counties, it's not like they're all that cohesive with each other.

I think I only count two roads directly connecting them, both with bridges at the border.

When has any one let a little thing like communities of interest and geography get in the way of gerrymandering?

Yeah but some people are connecting Douglas and Jefferson in fair maps. Three things need to happen in any fair Denver configuration.

1. Douglas and Jefferson should never, ever be connected.

2. Gilpin and Clear Creek go with Jefferson--not the Western Slope.

3. DIA gets put in with Adams and Arapahoe, not the rest of Denver.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

2. Gilpin and Clear Creek go with Jefferson--not the Western Slope.

Curious why you argue for this.

Parts of them are exurban Denver/Boulder and they're east of the Continental Divide--which is such a natural boundary.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

[snip]

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Seems to have a lot of unnecessary splits--how about something like this?

That's a reasonable alternative but I'm always going to prioritize compactness, clean lines, COIs, and actual physical geography over generally arbitrary county lines. And the single most obvious physical divide in Demver suburbia is the Douglas/Jefferson line radiating out from Southwest Denver. Plus I think it's hard to argue that some of Denver's weirder protrusions actually have any real significance.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Idk, I think that map addresses your criticism? The 6th district links Jefferson and Douglas with a sensible slice of southern Arapahoe.

Doing otherwise forces a split of Aurora, as seen on your map.

I know. I just think splitting Aurora is better than splitting Jefferson.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

I would not be shocked if the commission was persuaded by the fact CO is a blue state, draws a 6-2 D map. It would likely be something like CO-8 leaning heavily Dem and CO-3 being like Biden +7 in a seat a more moderate R could win but Boebert would be finished in.

Easier said than done. No matter what you do, an enormous number of Dem votes will be packed in urban Denver and Boulder--making 6-2 close to impossible to draw.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Can't they have the basic moral decency to chop the airport and make the map prettier? Is that really too much to ask?