Solutions for curtailing gerrymandering could include artificial intelligence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One of the most contentious battles in politics isn't just the current battle for the White House, it's also the upcoming battle over who could ultimately end up in the halls of Congress and state capitols everywhere, in a process called redistricting. "The basic idea underlying that system is that we should form a constituency with people who live near us," said Charles Blahous, a senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia. New district maps are created based on census population numbers every 10 years. Yet, those maps can end up getting distorted to favor one political party over another when gerrymandering comes in to play. "I think gerrymandering is of concern to most voters because it seems to violate the foundational principle of our representative system, which is that we are divided into districts geographically," Blahous said.