South SFV Today

Along the second-floor corridor of faculty offices in the William H. Neukom Building at Stanford Law School, a unique door catches attention. Covered entirely with electoral maps from the 2022 November general election, it belongs to Nate Persily, the James B. McClatchy Professor of Law.

Elections and election maps are central to Persily's work and his office decor reflects this passion. He has served as a special master or court-appointed expert in creating districting plans for several states including Georgia, Maryland, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. His office is lined with framed maps of districts he has helped redraw over time.

"Each one of them has a story behind it," said Persily during a tour of his office as he discussed the challenges involved in district planning. Reflecting on his experience with New Hampshire's map, he said, "It’s only two districts, so it’s not terribly complicated, but I actually suffered over it because you had to move a few thousand people from one district to the other." He achieved an optimal division by moving just five towns between districts: "I hit the magic number perfectly – incredible, really."

Persily explained that redistricting involves numerous trade-offs among values such as race, competition, geography, and industry. For example, while working on Georgia's map he needed to consider agricultural distinctions like whether a town was in a pecan- or peanut-growing county.

In addition to election-related items in his office are family photos and sports memorabilia including a soccer ball signed by David Beckham and a basketball signed by the 1985 Boston Celtics team. While not affiliated with any political party, Persily shows allegiance to sports teams thanks to his sons' influence; he supports the Golden State Warriors.

News updates and insights continue to be shared regularly from Stanford University.