Tonight at the dinner table
2026-10-31 · a shorter table tonight
Voting in California on November 3? Read about the measures on your ballot
Should Missouri use its 2025 map in November's election?
Worth learning An appeals court's ruling means Missouri must use its 2025 congressional map in the November election.
Why a teen would care The map helps choose who represents Missouri and can shape the issues adults debate as you grow up and get closer to voting.
What should matter most when an appeals court chooses which Missouri congressional map voters use?
What each side might say
Someone who agrees: I'd give most weight to whether repeatable measures show the map is an extreme partisan outlier.
Why: Several number-based methods let courts compare maps in repeatable ways, especially when they point to the same result.
Sources: A comparison of metrics for the identification of partisan gerrymandering · A formula goes to court: Partisan gerrymandering and the efficiency gap
Someone who disagrees: I'd give most weight to caution, because different measures can judge the same map differently.
Why: Different measures can disagree, and some depend on turnout or on how comparison maps are made.
Sources: A comparison of metrics for the identification of partisan gerrymandering · A formula goes to court: Partisan gerrymandering and the efficiency gap
When the 8th Circuit says Missouri must use the 2025 map, what should voters weigh most?
What each side might say
Someone who agrees: I'd weigh whether the map can be challenged and replaced under constitutional rules.
Why: Pennsylvania and North Carolina courts used state constitutional guarantees to reject maps and require replacements, showing courts can impose practical remedies.
Sources: Harper v. Hall · Common Cause v. Lewis
Someone who disagrees: I'd weigh whether there is a clear court rule before treating the 2025 map as unfair.
Why: The Supreme Court said federal claims lacked clear standards, and earlier theories did not settle injury, cutoffs, or remedies.
Sources: Rucho v. Common Cause · Gill v. Whitford
For Missouri's November election, what would make a congressional map feel fair to you?
What each side might say
Someone who agrees: A map feels fair when comparable parties get comparable treatment at similar vote shares.
Why: Partisan symmetry offers a neutral way to identify unequal treatment of parties with equivalent vote shares.
Sources: The Future of Partisan Symmetry as a Judicial Test for Partisan Gerrymandering after LULAC v. Perry
Someone who disagrees: I'd be careful about judging a map by party results, since where people live can shape those results.
Why: People of the same party can live near one another, creating seat advantages even without deliberate map-drawing.
What the evidence says:
- Courts can apply consistent, enforceable constitutional standards to identify and remedy partisan gerrymandering (Depends on scope)
In the news:
- Appeals court backs GOP-drawn map in Missouri - Roll Call
- Appeals court rules Missouri must use new congressional map - spectrumlocalnews.com
- 8th Circuit rules Missouri must use 2025 congressional map in November election - KMBC
History of this topic · version 3
Evergreen question
Should arts education be as important as STEM?
Worth learning Schools weigh the outcomes arts may develop beyond STEM against evidence that does not establish equal effectiveness.
Why a teen would care The balance between arts and STEM can shape which classes, skills, and creative options you get at school.
Given the claim that arts develop outcomes STEM alone does not target, which outcomes should schools make room for?
Since evidence does not establish equal effectiveness, what kind of evidence should matter most when schools divide class time?
When deciding whether arts education is as important as STEM, what should “important” mean for students?
What the evidence says:
- Arts education is as important as STEM (Leaning yes, with caveats)