AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
States across the country are engaged in a redistricting frenzy, and new maps are being drawn by state parties to help them grab more seats, giving them the advantage. But in Alabama, there's a different story. A judge struck down the state's map for state Senate districts and solicited suggestions for a new map. The winning map was drawn by a freshman at the University of Alabama. Daniel DiDonato made that map and joins us now from his dorm. Welcome to the program.
DANIEL DIDONATO: Hello there. Pleasure to be on with you today.
RASCOE: So what got you interested in redrawing voting maps? Was this your first time doing this?
DIDONATO: Elections have always been my passion. Throughout middle and high school, it's just something that I loved to follow. And one of the most important aspects of that is redistricting. Nothing shapes an election quite like how the lines are drawn. And so it's really fascinating for me to look at how said lines are drawn, who's responsible for drawing the lines and how those lines can be better.
RASCOE: How did you hear that Judge Anna Manasco picked your map?
DIDONATO: I woke up at 9 in the morning for a 9:30 class, and I saw a text message from a friend of mine that had said that my map had been picked. I was shocked. I certainly wasn't expecting it, especially after, like, as I was like, tracking, like, all the developments in, like, the lawsuit, like, I was like, I don't think my plan is going to be picked, but there's - the worst that can be said is no.
RASCOE: Did you make it to that 9:30 class on time?
DIDONATO: Yes, I did. I sat through the entire hour and 15-minute-long class. I had a hard time focusing, but I - it was just - I was a bit distracted.
RASCOE: Yes. Yeah. I can understand that. You did use some software to make the map, right? Like, how did you find the software? How does it work?
DIDONATO: It's basically a free online web app known as Dave's Redistricting App. Among, like, the amateur community, it's kind of like the go-to resource for, like, just redrawing, like, electoral boundaries generally and redistricting. So that's what I used.
RASCOE: And so what were the guiding principles that you used to draw your map?
DIDONATO: So the old map was illegal because there needed to be an extra seat in a specific area of the state where Black voters could elect a candidate of their choice. My goal was to add that additional district in a way that changes as little as possible from the previous plan, put simply.
RASCOE: Your map is being challenged by the state.
DIDONATO: Yes.
RASCOE: Are you involved in that case?
DIDONATO: No. I have no official role as a party in the case. The state is appealing, and the plaintiffs are weighing whether or not they want to appeal. They have till January to decide. So we'll - I'll be watching out for that.
RASCOE: Yeah. Well, what do you think makes a good political map?
DIDONATO: I'd say respect for traditional redistricting principles, such as compactness, is a good one. Population equality is a must. Compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Political neutrality. Respect for local governmental units, like following counties and city lines as closely as possible. But this one, my role was a bit limited because I wasn't considering, say, the partisan impact of the plans as I was drawing them. I wasn't looking at racial data as I was drawing them.
RASCOE: It's not often that members of the public submit their own maps.
DIDONATO: Yes.
RASCOE: Do you think that...
DIDONATO: I was the only member of the public, in this case, who submitted a plan.
RASCOE: I mean, do you think that other states should open this up to the public so that people like you who are really interested can take part?
DIDONATO: I do think that citizens should play a much greater role in redistricting, yes. Nothing shapes how you vote more than where the lines are. I wish that was something more people understood about the process, I'd say.
RASCOE: What do you make of all of these redistricting battles between the parties across the country happening right now?
DIDONATO: The congressional redistricting war, I'd say, is - it's very much a race to the bottom. Nobody wins from this. Nobody wants this. Voters do not want this. I think it's a very bad sign of the state of our democracy that we are currently engaged in an arms race to see which party can rig the maps in favor of their party the most.
RASCOE: That's Daniel DiDonato, a student at the University of Alabama. The state Senate map he drew for the state of Alabama was chosen by a federal judge. Thank you so much for speaking with us today.
DIDONATO: Of course. Thank you very much for having me. It was a pleasure to be on. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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