Political District Exercise:

Due in class on Monday, October 20th

The purpose of this exercise is to acquaint you with electoral districts in which you live, and thus to make personal the relevance of electoral geography. Follow the instructions for either Option A or Option B depending on whether you live in New York City or somewhere else.

Option A: New York City Residents

New York City Residents live in each of the following:

• A U.S. Congressional District (the area represented by your Congressperson)
• A New York State Senate District
• A New York State Assembly District
• A New York City Council District

Your task is to prepare a 6-8 page paper that:

1. Begins with a brief description of the nature and character of your neighborhood;
2. Includes maps of each District above together with a red dot that shows where you live (information on accessing these maps will be provided in class);
3. Identifies the person who represent you in each district, as well as that individual's political affiliation;
4. Briefly describes and analyzes the shape of each district;
5. Explains (or speculates) why each district is shaped the way it is (in particular, how similar/diverse is the population/area included in each district); and
6. Briefly describes and analyzes the overlap between these districts.

After addressing #1 above, your paper should be organized in a district-by-district manner, and typed (12 point type) double-space on consecutively numbered pages.

Option B: Non-New York City Residents

Please see me so we can identify four electoral districts that are pertinent to your residential location. Otherwise, the organization of your paper should be the same as points 1-6 above.

Where to get the information you need

A number of online sources on political district boundaries are available. You can confirm this by Googling New York State Senate (or New York State Senate Districts) and viewing the results. The same applies to the other types of political districts involved in this exercise. Examples that cover each type of district are shown below. I cannot vouch that these are the very best online resources now available, but they will give you what you need to know.

U.S. Congressional Districts
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/congress.html

New York State Senate Districts
http://www.senate.state.ny.us

New York State Assembly Districts
http://www.assembly.state.ny.us

New York City Council Districts
http://www.nyc.gov/citymap
-- click on Boundaries | view
-- highlight circle for City Council Districts