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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 27

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.

Are Less Proportional Congressional Maps Also Less Fair?

You may have seen posts online arguing that a state's congressional map is gerrymandered because the number of seats a party wins doesn't match its statewide vote share. The argument goes like this: "...

www.linkedin.com

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 25

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...

Explainer: Understanding the mid-decade redistricting push in Texas

Powerful new techniques and a partisan environment are influencing congressional redistricting by Texas Republicans, Benjamin Schneer explains. Schneer is a faculty member at Harvard Kennedy School.

www.hks.harvard.edu

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

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Reposted by Ben Schneer

Maxwell Palmer @maxwellpalmer.com · Aug 14

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...

How to Fix America’s Gerrymandering Problem

As Trump pushes states to redraw districts in favor of Republicans, this solution could help stop gerrymandering.

time.com

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 14

In my view, the path forward is coming up with procedures that we think ensure fairer outcomes, whether they be what we have proposed here or other approaches where a fairer process is the key reform.

Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 14

This is essentially Goodhart's Law: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure." With modern computing, it is possible to draw maps that meet one single target while still allowing an extreme gerrymander along other dimensions.

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 14

One related point to highlight that is not in the Time article, but that I think is an increasingly important one: Any "solution" to gerrymandering that is pinned on reducing a single measure can ultimately be gamed.

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 14

We're honored the paper recently won the Miller Prize from the Society for Political Methodology for best paper in Political Analysis in 2025, polmeth.org/miller-prize.

The Miller Prize

polmeth.org

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 14

I along with my co-authors @MaxwellBPalmer and @cantstopkevin wrote an academic article (bit.ly/4oABcyb) describing the proposed approach: set the parties against each other in a structured map-drawing process, where each has input. We call it Define-Combine.

A Partisan Solution to Partisan Gerrymandering: The Define–Combine Procedure | Political Analysis | Cambridge Core

A Partisan Solution to Partisan Gerrymandering: The Define–Combine Procedure - Volume 32 Issue 3

bit.ly

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 14

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...

How to Fix America’s Gerrymandering Problem

As Trump pushes states to redraw districts in favor of Republicans, this solution could help stop gerrymandering.

time.com

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Reposted by Ben Schneer

Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation @harvardash.bsky.social · Aug 13

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...

Republicans are seeking to create a durable gerrymander in Texas

Short-term tactical gains in Texas could ultimately yield a race to the bottom.

www.expressnews.com

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 8

Finally, if you are interested in reading an even more in-depth (and more academic) analysis I put one together here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-te...

How Texas's New Congressional Maps Lock In Political Power

The mid-decade redistricting in Texas seems like it will be the first in a series of extreme gerrymanders across the country, with states like Missouri, California, and maybe even New York next. This ...

www.linkedin.com

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 8

The new map is not only biased for Republicans, but also unresponsive to future swings in the vote. In other work, we have termed this type of map a “durable gerrymander,” and it cuts against an important democratic principle: that the party in power risks losing it if voter preferences change.

bit.ly

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 8

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.

Republicans are seeking to create a durable gerrymander in Texas

Short-term tactical gains in Texas could ultimately yield a race to the bottom.

www.expressnews.com

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Aug 6

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

Feeling Unheard by Congress? Here's What You Need to Know.

YouTube video by Top of Mind with Julie Rose

youtu.be

Reposted by Ben Schneer

The Quarterly Journal of Economics @qjeharvard.bsky.social · Jul 14

#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/...

Validate User

doi.org

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

If this tweetstorm wasn't enough for you, the paper is open access academic.oup.com/qje/advance-... and our LSE blog post is pithy blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...

15/15

“Descended from Immigrants and Revolutionists”: How Family History Shapes Immigration Policy Making*

Abstract. Does family history matter for policy making in democracies? Linking members of Congress (MCs) to the census, we observe countries of birth for m

academic.oup.com

Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

As America grapples with an increasingly authoritarian immigration policy, does it matter that the lawmakers making (and objecting to) these decisions bring their families' stories with them? I think we saw last week that it does 14/X

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

Our findings also reveal limits to immigrant solidarity. When legislation targeted specific nationalities, only lawmakers from those backgrounds strongly opposed it. Others with immigrant heritage were less opposed. Group boundaries matter 13/X

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

Padilla: "If this is how they respond to a senator with a question, imagine what they're doing to farmworkers, cooks, day laborers." This personal framing—connecting his treatment to immigrant communities—mirrors what our research predicts about MC speech in Congress 12/X

Sen. Alex Padilla is forcibly removed from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles

Noem was in L.A. to address the ongoing protests against President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Federal agents handcuffed Padilla after his removal.

www.nbcnews.com

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

Last week's incident shows this dynamic in real time. Padilla was there seeking accountability as a senator whose own family story connects him to the communities being targeted by these enforcement actions 11/X

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

When we studied speeches in Congress, immigrant-descended legislators avoided making negative speeches about immigration rather than giving more positive ones. This strategic approach might let them advance pro-immigration agendas without drawing backlash 10/X

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

What is the mechanism? We think group identity. Lawmakers with immigrant backgrounds name their children with more culturally specific names (even before entering Congress), speak about immigration in personal terms, and reference family more than economics in floor speeches 9/X

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

Technical detail: It is actually quite hard to census link people who run for congress and lose (they are “lost” to history). But we know their names and names are powerful signals of family history, especially during our period 8/X

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Ben Schneer @benschneer.bsky.social · Jun 17

James Feigenbaum @jamesfeigenbaum.bsky.social · Jun 17

An RD gets us causality: Imagine two candidates with different immigrant family histories. In a close election, the background of the MC in a given district is close to arbitrary. Same district, different representative. And the immigrant-descended MCs still voted more pro-immigration 7/X

TABLE III Open in new tab Regression... | Oxford Academic

academic.oup.com

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