Commentary Suggests that Gerrymandering in the United States is On the Way Out

Joshua Spivak has this commentary on AOL News, suggesting that gerrymandering in the United States is likely to diminish substantially in the near future.  He mentions the strong votes by Florida and California voters against gerrymandering.  Of course, slightly over half the states do not have the initiative process, and the commentary does not discuss the difficulties of getting districting reform in states without the initiative process.

Wisconsin Green Party Legislative Candidate Got Most Votes, Among Voters Who Didn't Use Straight-Ticket Device

Ben Manski has this interesting op-ed in the Cap Times of Madison, Wisconsin.  He was the Green Party nominee for Assembly in the 77th district.  He points out that when one only looks at the ballots of voters who did not use the straight-ticket device, he got more votes than any of his opponents.  But he still lost, when the votes of people who did use the straight-ticket device are included.