Author: Jonathan Mattingly
Publisher: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Publication Year: 2021
Summary: The following video is the author presenting his research on how local, state, and national elections depend on the underlying maps that are drawn my state legislators. In a process known as “Gerrymandering,” state legislators of particular parties can use statistics to redraw congressional maps to influence the outcomes of elections despite voting preferences of citizens. He demonstrates how statisticians can study and rank different redistricting maps based on concepts of fairness and equity. He also demonstrates the use of algorithms which he has developed to detect gerrymandering efforts. From an ethical standpoint, Dr. Mattingly reminds viewers that what is moral, what is fair, and what is legal are not always the same. Additionally, he demonstrates how statistics and data science can be used to dampen the will of the people in a democracy and uncover such misdeeds.