NICE Class: Why are there so few competitive Congressional districts and what can we do about it?Tuesday October 15, 2024
1:00 PM until 2:30 PM
Join us for Professor Ratliff's class:
We're in for an exciting election season this fall, especially after the shakeup in the Democratic ticket for the White House this summer. No matter who our next President is, they will have an ambitious agenda that will require the support of Congress to be able to fully enact. However, the House of Representatives is likely to remain closely divided since only about 40 out of the 435 seats are predicted to be competitive by some estimates. Why are there so few seats that have the potential to change parties?
Some of this is definitely a result of the gerrymandering of Congressional districts by both parties, but another major factor is the way we structure our elections in the U.S. One reform that has gained considerable traction recently has been dubbed Ranked Choice Voting. We'll look in detail at how Ranked Choice Voting works and try to understand its advantages and disadvantages. We will also consider another structural change to our elections that I believe holds much more potential for making Congress more reflective of the desires of the voters. In particular, we'll see what impact each of these reforms could have here in Massachusetts.
Tommy Ratliff is a Professor of Mathematics at Wheaton College, where he has taught for nearly 30 years. He has taught courses across the entire curriculum, from introductory courses for first-year students to advanced topics like Cryptography for math majors. His research primarily focuses on Voting Theory, with recent work addressing mathematical questions related to redistricting and gerrymandering. He has held several faculty leadership roles at Wheaton, but all of his administrative experiences have reaffirmed his love of the classroom and working directly with undergraduates.
No registration necessary. This presentation is free and open to the public.
PRESENTED BY NICE: This program is presented by the Norton Institute for Continuing Education (NICE). NICE is a collaborative effort of Wheaton College and Norton Community partners to provide non-credit college-level courses and other educational opportunities in an informal and relaxed environment.
Location: Community Room
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