Missouri-Kansas Line

 Kansas Current Districts Despite its small size, the Third District near Kansas City is in fact the most-populous one in the state today, requiring rebalancing.  The "Big First" (blue) and Second (green) have lost population. Kansas 2021:  This Author's Proposed New Districts This map avoids a Missouri-to-Colorado Big First and splits only two counties.  No cities are split.  In Johnson County, the cities of Gardener, Edgerton, Spring Hill, and DeSoto move to the Second District along with some unincorporated rural areas.  The rest of the county stays in the Third District with all of Wyandotte County (Kansas City). Kansas 2021:  GOP Gerrymander? Rumors abound that the Republican supermajority may try to split the Third District to eliminate its Democratic-voting majority.  The map below shows what that might look like, with the Big First wrapping around the Second to collect Wyandotte County, while Johnson County, which is now majority-Democrati...

 Missouri's Current Districts The First District in St. Louis (in blue) and the Fifth District in Kansas City (yellow) have lost population and need to be rebalanced. Missouri's Current Districts:  St. Louis Detail Missouri's Current Districts:  Kansas City Detail Missouri:  My Proposed Map for 2021 My Missouri 2021 Map:  St Louis Detail This map moves the First District deeper into North St. Louis County.  It rebalances the First District's population and retains its plurality-minority status, but it also makes the Second District more Republican by moving its most Democratic precincts into the First. Missouri 2021 Map:  St. Louis Alternate The map below divides St. Louis City and County and parts of St. Charles County with a more north-to-south orientation.  It makes both the First (blue) and Second (green) district majority-Democratic, which would make Missouri's Congressional delegation more proportional to the state's voting patterns.  H...

  African-Americans face unique challenges in getting COVID vaccines and other healthcare. The racist history of the Tuskegee experiments adds to the mistrust. But the best way to fight healthcare inequality is to get vaccinated, I wrote in  last week’s column .

 Time for redistricting!  What do you need to know?  What should we watch out for?  See my redistricting primer on the MPSA blog.

  Kansas is about to start redistricting using the same old system that failed in 2012. It is time to update to a less-partisan commission approach, I wrote in  last week’s column .

I recently joined colleagues Bob Beatty and Amber Dickinson and journalist Abigail Censky to discuss this year's session of the Kansas Legislature on KTWU's I've Got Issues .

  Politicians across the spectrum are excited about “two plus two” arrangements by which students enter the university with up to two years of credit completed in high school or community college. However, there is still no substitute for being immersed in the life of a college campus, I wrote in last week’s column.