Partisan gerrymandering is a race to the bottom. Yesterday, Virginia voters narrowly approved (51–49) a constitutional amendment letting the state legislature redraw its congressional map through 2030 — bypassing the bipartisan commission voters created just a few years ago.

@benschneer.bsky.social, @cantstopkevin.bsky.social), developed the **Define-Combine Procedure**. We apply the "you cut, I choose" rule to mapmaking. One party divides the state into twice as many equal-population sub-districts as it needs, and then the other party pairs them into final districts.

A drag on the ticket? Estimating top‐of‐the‐ticket effects on down‐ballot races by Kevin DeLuca, Daniel J. Moskowitz, and Benjamin Schneer is now available in Early View. @cantstopkevin.bsky.social @danmoskowitz.bsky.social @benschneer.bsky.social ow.ly/8Hun50XAhmq

In Hawaii, ~40% of voters in the 2024 Pres. election went for Republicans. But Hawaii has no Republican congressional seats. Does this mean its map is a terrible gerrymander? I've noticed a lot of discussions online making points similar to this one. I wrote a post, linked below, on this question.

Recently did a Q&A/Explainer on the current gerrymandering "wars". Check it out if you are catching up on the fight over gerrymandering in Texas, California and beyond... www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

Spoke with the Austin American-Statesman and shared some data about the impact of redistricting in Travis County. More than half the people in the county will be reshuffled into new congressional districts and only one of these will remain rooted in Austin. See archive.ph/7DcuX for full article.

How to fix America's gerrymandering problem? @benschneer.bsky.social and I wrote in Time today about a solution we developed (with @cantstopkevin.bsky.social). time.com/7309565/amer...

I've been thinking through the implications of extreme gerrymandering for several years now. Today I wrote an article in Time that lays out the problem and describes one solution. We think that we need a "partisan" solution to partisan gerrymandering. time.com/7309565/amer...

Ben Schneer investigates what Texas’s mid-decade redistricting will mean for congressional elections and voter representation. Learn more here ⤵️ www.expressnews.com/opinion/comm...

You may have noticed things are happening fast in the world of redistricting… I along with @maxwellpalmer.com and @simko.bsky.social wrote an article last week (though published today) that analyzes the changes to the congressional district map in Texas, and particularly San Antonio.

Really enjoyed speaking with Julie Rose on the Top of Mind podcast about the responsiveness of Congress to constituents and congressional petitioning!

#QJE Aug 2025, #14, “‘Descended from Immigrants and Revolutionists:’ How Family History Shapes Immigration Policymaking,” by Feigenbaum (@jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social), Palmer (@maxwellpalmer.com), and Schneer: doi.org/10.1093/qje/...

Please check out the thread and paper @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social, @maxwellpalmer.com, and I wrote below. We started this project a LONG time ago, and could never have anticipated exactly how timely it would be when it finally was published.

Legislators who descend from immigrants historically supported more permissive immigration policies find @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social and @maxwellpalmer.com of @bostonu.bsky.social and Benjamin Schneer of @harvardkennedy.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...