Hacktivism Intent 1 – Tate Yoder & Tyler Rollins
Visualizing Extreme Possibilities of Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is the act of manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency or district, to favor a certain political party – though complicated in theory and understanding and how it’s is done, we propose that visualizing the extremes of gerrymandering will create country-wide conversation to address this unfair tactic in today’s polarized political environment.
Description: We are doing this for the people. Ultimately we are not proposing an “end all be all” solution to gerrymandering, but rather creating a visualization to attract more people into this debate and raise awareness that there needs to be a better way to either create boundaries for our districts or create an entirely new system altogether that is more fair and just.
Gerrymandering has created the ability for there to be dramatically different end results even if every single person voted the same way. This is best illustrated with the photos above, particularly with photo 2. In the first instance, we see that 60% of the population voted with Blue, and 40% of the population voted for Red. However, in the second instance, if we just look at the end result, we see that there are a total of 5 “district” votes for the Blue. This gives us the impression that there is no debate on who won, clearly, all the votes went to blue and therefore it is unanimous. This is wrong because still, 40% of the people voted for Red. The last example is where this method is the most unfair. Even though we see that 60% of the people voted for Blue, the end results show that Red received 3 votes, and Blue received 2. This, in theory, actually flips the percentages and makes it seem like 60% of the votes went to Red, and 40% went to blue. This is wrong, and this is being done in our political system right now.
In conclusion, as you can see with the images above, this is not our original idea. We are merely taking this example of showing the extremes for a state like Pennsylvania, and propose to do this for the entire country to show how dramatically different the end results are if gerrymandering is taken to its extreme.
Our method can be described in three different New Media strategy categories:
UPSTAGE THE MAN
By sharing this information throughout the country, we are able to educate citizens on how representatives are molding state districts in order to steal elections with the lowest votes possible. By exploiting this strategy we are able to give the proper information needed in order for the people to start a coalition and take back their voting voice.
AGGREGATE, AUTOMATE, AND VISUALIZE DATA
The most effective way to share this data is by visualization. Because gerrymandering is done by breaking up districts on a map, it is important to show the effects of this process to the people whose votes are oppressed.
DISTRIBUTE AND CONNECT INFORMATION
There is no one spot on the web that compiles this information for people to easily access it in order to create their individual views on the subject. By compiling this information we are able to distribute it throughout the web through various outlets such as a website and/or social media. Allowing people easy access is the first step to gaining attention on a subject. By connecting people with this information, we are able to curate new ideas and new networks for actual action to take place.
Budget, Materials, and Time: If this can be done with one state, this can be done with all 50 states. We would need the voting information for an election (the most recent election would have the most emotional impact on the viewers) and to hire someone to dream up the most extreme examples of how gerrymandering can affect the outcome of the election.
Time: Roughly four months of consistent and intense work. We estimate that this kind of information is hard to find, as well as hard to read and create extreme examples of redistricting. However, we are positive that if it can be done with one state that it must be done for all so we can finally see the ridiculous nature of this practice.Budget: The general overview of the budget contains paying a source for the information, paying for a website domain to present the visual, as well as hiring a designer and promoter to create and distribute the end result.
2 thoughts on “Hacktivism Intent 1 – Tate Yoder & Tyler Rollins”
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what media is the intent/project? 1-1, 1-many, many-many? explain
This is a 1 to many, technically a “couple to many,” solution that aims at distributing helpful information to the masses. It could be adapted to a many-to-many solution if anyone across the country was able to submit extreme example they’ve found, or something similar.
does the idea enlist any of the New Media Strategies? If so which & how?
Yes, at least three of them as was explicitly listed. This project idea perfectly fits the three they chose as well, it is specifically targeting and trying to upstage “the man” as its directly tackling a governmental process. The main way in which theya re gonna do this is through distributing information, in an aggregated and visualized way.
what major issue(s) does the project engage?
Trumps out president…
does the concept interest you?
Very much actually, I would be willing to help with it even, as I agree with the cause and I have talent in visualizing data and photoshop in general.
Design
is the design clear and appropriate?
100% its a fairly simple solution to a complicated problem that is just screaming for simplicity to fix it.
does the design invite attention and/or participation?
Not explicitly, but this is already a problem that is well known and out there, so I think that alone will be attractive. But definitely, the biggest problem I see you guys having is getting the word out.
what tech is used? is it appropriate?
Visualized data and infographics will be the main vehicle for communication, and i think they’re the perfect solution for this type of problem, since the core issue is that the problem is hard to comprehend. So the masses need a simple, visualized way to see what a big problem this is.
what is the cost? is it affordable for most people? the planet? is it sustainable?
Super affordable and eco-friendly. All they should NEED is server space.
who is the intended audience?
Specifically, everyone who’s over 18, aka voting age. But it would still be good information to introduce to younger people.
how is the project geared to the audience?
would the project appeal to or challenge the audience? how/why?
Depends on the individual. Believe it or not there are some people that love gerrymandering as it works for their purposes. So for some this would be appealing as its a step in the solution, to others it would be challenging a pre-established system that they agree with.
does the idea stem from some personal passion of the creator?
I would assume so? How am i supposed to know?
can you detect the mark of a particular sensibility?
Not really, and it’s almost better that way because this is a general issue that should be free of personal flair or individuality so as to appeal to as broad an audience as possible..
This is a cool idea–do you actually have the data to DO it? As an approach, you might begin with one state–like Maine. Or New England. You make good use of NMD strategies, and you have a clear and relevant political goal. My main concern is how you will be able to get the data and visualize it. Ids this something you could crowdsource? i.e. could you start the process and then invite others to add their data–whthere maps, or charts or text data that you could verify and then visualize and distribute? This is ambitious, but you might be able to give it a test run in an Approach with a single state?