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Philadelphia's Gerrymandered Past and Present (But Not Future)

Fun fact: after the 1990 census, Councilperson Rick Mariano, desperate for re-election, didn't aim to reach the disenfranchised Latino population he was afraid would push him out of office. He just reached right around them, sparking a trend of gerrymandering that helped to create this mumble-jumble of a district map, above. By the mid-aughts, "Philly's 7th [council] district was the most gerrymandered municipal district in America. The 5th district was the third-most gerrymandered." But here's the good news: Philly's wacko district lines have an expiration date.

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