Fri, April 17, 2026
4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Journalism Building 360 - JR0360
Moon Duchin
University of Chicago
Title
What is the weight of a vote?
Abstract
One of the most powerful principles in voting rights law goes by the name of "One Person, One Vote" and holds broadly that "the weight and worth of the citizens' votes" should be made as equal as possible. But how to measure voting power is an open question, and one prominent Supreme Court Justice warned his colleagues that their good intentions would lead into a "mathematical quagmire." He was not wrong. This talk will provide an up-to-the minute overview of ideas by mathematicians (and others) to chart a path out of the swamp and come up with good metrics for this basic form of democratic fairness.
There will be a reception following the event in Math Tower (MW) 724