Instead of congressional districts being gerrymandered by race it would be better to represent voters by average Socioeconomic Status. Black, White, Asian etc. think and act depending on where they are in life and where they want to go. Healthcare, housing, safety etc are important to poor whites as it is to poor blacks. Congressional districts may not change much if SES was the criteria but at least we can get away from continually making everything a race issue.
This is an interesting idea. It's just very complicated and nuanced in the context of Mississippi. In Mississippi, race and income intersect. About 37% of the state’s population is Black, and Black Mississippians are disproportionately lower-income compared to White residents. Many Black communities are concentrated in the Delta and in urban centers like Jackson, which are some of the poorest areas in the state. If we tried to draw districts based on socioeconomic status, we’d have to combine these low-income, predominantly Black areas with wealthier, predominantly White areas elsewhere to balance the numbers. On paper, that might seem fair, but in practice it could turn districts that are currently majority-Black into ones where Black residents are a minority, reducing their ability to elect candidates of their choice; even if the district still represents economic interests.
There are also legal implications to consider. The Voting Rights Act protects minority communities from being split in ways that weaken their political influence, and Mississippi courts have historically struck down maps that reduce Black voting power, even when race wasn’t the stated reason. Politically, Black voters in the state tend to vote cohesively for candidates who support civil rights and social programs. SES-based districts could weaken that cohesion, while White voters, who are generally higher-income and more geographically dispersed, might maintain influence across multiple districts. So even if the intention is to focus on economic priorities, in Mississippi, drawing districts by SES would almost certainly interact with race and could be seen as diluting minority voting power.
Instead of congressional districts being gerrymandered by race it would be better to represent voters by average Socioeconomic Status. Black, White, Asian etc. think and act depending on where they are in life and where they want to go. Healthcare, housing, safety etc are important to poor whites as it is to poor blacks. Congressional districts may not change much if SES was the criteria but at least we can get away from continually making everything a race issue.
This is an interesting idea. It's just very complicated and nuanced in the context of Mississippi. In Mississippi, race and income intersect. About 37% of the state’s population is Black, and Black Mississippians are disproportionately lower-income compared to White residents. Many Black communities are concentrated in the Delta and in urban centers like Jackson, which are some of the poorest areas in the state. If we tried to draw districts based on socioeconomic status, we’d have to combine these low-income, predominantly Black areas with wealthier, predominantly White areas elsewhere to balance the numbers. On paper, that might seem fair, but in practice it could turn districts that are currently majority-Black into ones where Black residents are a minority, reducing their ability to elect candidates of their choice; even if the district still represents economic interests.
There are also legal implications to consider. The Voting Rights Act protects minority communities from being split in ways that weaken their political influence, and Mississippi courts have historically struck down maps that reduce Black voting power, even when race wasn’t the stated reason. Politically, Black voters in the state tend to vote cohesively for candidates who support civil rights and social programs. SES-based districts could weaken that cohesion, while White voters, who are generally higher-income and more geographically dispersed, might maintain influence across multiple districts. So even if the intention is to focus on economic priorities, in Mississippi, drawing districts by SES would almost certainly interact with race and could be seen as diluting minority voting power.
I see, the populations of the congressional districts must be more or less equal.
Thanks