Student teams from the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, George Mason University and the University of Richmond took home prizes Tuesday in a novel competition in which they drew new lines for the state’s congressional, state House and state Senate districts using 2010 U.S. Census data.
The competition was a collaborative effort led by Quentin Kidd, director of Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy, and Michael McDonald, associate professor at George Mason University. A total of $13,500 in cash prizes were awarded.
Students used new mapping software to design their districts in a competition that was split into two divisions. In one, teams drew lines without regard to politics, focusing instead only on creating compact and contiguous districts.
In the other, students were also tasked with creating competitive districts based on previous election patterns.
Whether the General Assembly takes the maps into consideration when it meets next month to redraw state lines remains to be seen. A proposed plan to protect Virginia’s congressional incumbents is already circulating, though the process is ultimately left in the hands of the state legislature and Gov. Bob McDonnell.
The full list of maps and winners can be viewed here.
