UCSB geography professor Daniel Montello spoke Nov. 9 before several history classes and AP government students at Bishop Diego High School on the subject of political redistricting.

In his talk, Montello gave a brief survey of the types of political districts, pointing out that “choosing district boundaries, even when they are required to be roughly equal in population, still can have a critical influence in determining who gets elected to the Legislature and Congress.”

Through a variety of simplified real-life examples he showed how districts can be designed to “pack” or “split” voters so as to increase the influence of certain groups.

Montello’s talk came a week after voters approved Proposition 20, which extended the purview of the Redistricting Commission to include congressional districts, and after they rejected Proposition 27, which would have abolished the commission.

Montello himself was a candidate for the California Redistricting Commission. He appeared in advance of Geography Awareness Week, Nov. 14-20.

— Ashley Snider, class of 1982, is the director of admissions and public relations at Bishop Diego High School.