Gerrymandering & Big Data: How Software Rewrites US Elections

What happens when the constitutional baseline of "one person, one vote" collides with highly sophisticated geographic software?

In this bonus deep-dive of Whereabouts Tales, we pull back the curtain on the invisible architecture of American political power. Emily Pabst, who previously managed redistricting data for the Kansas Legislative Research Department, joins us to explain exactly how electoral lines are drawn—and how they are manipulated.

We trace the evolution of redistricting from hand-drawn maps to the deployment of complex GIS software capable of slicing demographic data down to the city block. We explore the reality of gerrymandering, the loss of professional innocence when data is weaponized for political gain, and how institutions can implement high-reliability design to survive human flaws. Finally, Emily issues a challenge to our listeners: finding media that maps an optimistic, aspirational future instead of a dystopian one.

[Chapters]

• 00:00 - The Architecture of Power (Cold Open)

• 01:24 - What is Redistricting & "One Person, One Vote"?

• 07:43 - Inside the Room: GIS Software & City Blocks

• 12:24 - Wiggle Room: Population Limits & Incumbents

• 19:24 - From the 90s to Today: The Tech Evolution

• 24:28 - Weaponizing Data & The Reality of Gerrymandering

• 36:42 - Independent Boards & Remaking the Rules

• 42:17 - The Need for Aspirational Futures in Media

  
  

[Essential Links & Calls to Action]

• The Assignment: Have a recommendation for a movie, book, or show that presents an optimistic future? Drop it in the YouTube comments or reach out via our website.

  
  

• Emily Pabst’s Work: remaketherules.com

• Upgrade Your Studio: Whereabouts Tales is recorded flawlessly on Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/QYP9A9