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The 20 Ugliest Gerrymandered Districts

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By Colin Campbell and Hunter Walker 1/27/12 6:00am

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Yesterday, Albany’s redistricting task force released their draft proposals for new legislative lines in New York State.

Critics of the redistricting process, including Governor Cuomo, say the mapping of new legislative boundaries, which occurs once every ten years, needs to be scrapped in favor of an independent system where a third party draws the lines.

However, as is, the process creates districts that stretch and bend to serve parochial political interests, resulting in maps that could easily double as Rorshach tests.

The State Senate proposals were notably ugly, so Politicker gathered some of the most egregious examples for your enjoyment!
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Man Peeing on Miniature Turkey

The small bottom chunk attached to Senate District 37 in Westchester County leads to a map that looks an awful lot like a man with a prominent nose urinating on a small turkey.
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Mother Eagle Feeding Her Young

Senate District 56 encompasses a large area to the left of and below Rochester, creating a map that looks like an mother eagle with wings outstretched delivering a worm to her nest.
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A Baby Alien Popping Out of a Stomach

Inimitable Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. quite accurately dubbed Senate District 12 in Astoria "a baby alien popping out of a stomach."
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Octopus After Crashing Through Boat Propeller

Senate District 15 is what happens after an octopus has a nasty collision with a motorboat.
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Ancient Knife

Senate district 31 would encompass the upper reaches of Manhattan (including Marble Hill) and snakes all the way down to 24th Street leaving something that looks like a decayed, rusted knife pulled from an archaeological dig.
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Well-Endowed Camel

Senate District 32 looks like a male camel that's missing one leg and has a rather prominent package.
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Puking Man In Headdress

Senate District 51 travels through a slew of counties to form what looks like a man wearing an elaborate, feathered headdress while projectile vomiting.
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The Anglerfish

New York Daily News columnist Bill Hammond aptly described Senate District 16 as an "anglerfish."
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What?!

This district is so f#$ked up we don't even know what to say.
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Puff the Magic Dragon

Senate District 14 is reminiscent of the classic children's song as it looks a lot like a dragon taking a drag from a cigarette.
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Crocodile Skull

With its gaping maw, the proposal for Senate District 3 clearly resembles the skull of an African Crocodile.
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Elephant Gas Mask

Bill Hammond also hit the nail on the head when he described Senate District 11 as an "elephant gas mask."
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Upside-Down Turtle Loses His Spleen

If you flip over the proposal for Brooklyn's 19th Senate District you can clearly see a disemboweled turtle.
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Lego Bat

If a small child attempted to build a bat with Lego blocks the result might be something like Senate District 22.
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A Stork With a Big Surprise

City & State Editor Adam Lisberg noted the proposal for Senate District 20 looks like a stork with a package in its beak.
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Chihuahua With Ebola

District 34, which includes The Bronx, looks like a large-eared, diseased chihuahua that's seen far better days.
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Pterodactyl Sitting Down

In Manhattan, Senate District 27 evokes an extinct Pterodactyl perched precariously on a tree limb.
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Swimming Frog Gives Birth

Randall's Island, Roosevelt Island, Manhattan, The Bronx are all included in Senate District 29, which also, for some reason, heads West to cover Central Park. The district that would hold sway over the park's homeless and raccoon population appears to be a frog releasing its eggs into the water mid-swim.
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Conan O'Brien's Hair

By straddling various Hudson Valley counties, Eric Kuo suggested the proposal for Senate District 35 is reminiscent of the silhouetted hair of Conan O'Brien.
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Upside Down Sperm Whale

Under the redistricting proposals, State Senate District 60 covers Lake Erie and several of the cities North and South of Buffalo, while seemingly straining to avoid Buffalo proper. The ensuing shape looks unmistakably like a sperm whale diving downward with its mouth wide open.

Comments

Upper West Press says:

January 27, 2012 at 1:05 pm

I love the names but the caption for SD27 incorrectly refers to it as SD21
Upper West Press says:

January 27, 2012 at 1:05 pm

I love the names but the caption for SD27 incorrectly refers to it as SD21
1. Colin Campbell says:
  
  January 27, 2012 at 1:20 pm
  
  Ack, Carl Kruger’s old district number got moved to Manhattan. Fixing, thanks!
Anonymous says:

January 27, 2012 at 1:59 pm

SD 16: The Skelorpion.
Anonymous says:

January 27, 2012 at 2:57 pm

Gerrymandering ain’t pretty!
Seamus Campbell says:

January 27, 2012 at 3:39 pm

SD 23, at very high tide, loses it’s contiguousness. Explain to me how THAT is legal.
Sidehiller says:

January 27, 2012 at 4:53 pm

And still some wonder why politicians are not taken seriously!
guest says:

January 27, 2012 at 6:08 pm

Will you be doing the Assembly District next?
1. frankj says:
  
  January 31, 2012 at 5:16 pm
  
  You are wrong prove it
Anonymous says:

January 27, 2012 at 8:54 pm

How do we get rid of gerrymandering for good?
RitaSue Siegel says:

January 28, 2012 at 6:02 am

And we blame teachers for kids not learning? How would the people who drew these districts ex plain them to students? What rationale could they possibly offer? What about the notion of community? Aren’t they embarrassed to have such thoughts?
Jackmorpher says:

January 28, 2012 at 10:59 pm

contiguous and compact
Mangocube6 says:

January 29, 2012 at 11:02 am

These pics are so offensive. we got rid of gerrymandering here in Australia by establishing an independent electoral commission and took it out of the politicians’ hands. Public can still submit but independent. Gerrymandering undermines faith in the whole democratic system.
Mangocube6 says:

January 29, 2012 at 11:18 am

These pics are so offensive. We got rid of gerrymandering here in
Australia by establishing an independent electoral commission and took
it out of the politicians’ hands. Public can still submit. Gerrymandering undermines faith in the whole democratic
system for partisan short term gain. Every district should have a community of interest and be within 10% of the average enrolment.
Mangocube6 says:

January 29, 2012 at 11:21 am

If Americans wonder why people think they are not a true democracy these pics are front line evidence why they may well be right.
Carl Romalis says:

February 2, 2012 at 4:31 pm

The best argument for non-partisan legislative redistricting that one could find! Eldbridge Gerry must be smiling from his grave

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