Flashes of Insight

View the Flashes of Insight flashcards that discuss the many values that can be prioritized when a voting map is drawn. (Click here for a Spanish translation of the cards - thank you to Danny Hernandez and Olivia Mendoza from All on the Line for the translation.) 

Lead a brief class discussion to make sure everyone understands what each value means.

Have each student rank the values that they would prioritize if they were drawing their own map. 

Once they have ordered their preferences, lead a virtual discussion about why they ranked the values the way they did.

Help students understand that there are two primary takeaways:

There is no one correct way to draw districts. Different values require trade-offs. For example, to make a competitive district, you may have to forego compactness.

Extension questions:

• How did you think about ‘communities of interest’ when ranking that value?
• Do you think it’s important for a map to intentionally create districts that are competitive in elections? Or should districts be drawn without considering previous election results or voter registration data?
• Do you remember what values are enshrined in the US and Pennsylvania Constitutions? How did you think about those in relation to others that are not enshrined?