One proposed map of the US with 50 equal-population States

[frazzled]

12. Well, it was done because a bunch of alderman would have lost their jobs

Their wards had shrunk. It was only by odd redistricting, which broke up neighborhoods, that they could be kept on the books.

This happened to me when I lived in Massachusetts. We had a very liberal State Representative in my town. When the legislature redistricted, they "punished" him by splitting the town in half. He got a conservative town to the north tacked onto his district, and our side of the town got the (conservative) Rep presiding in the town to the south assigned to us. So now we liberals were split and resided as minorities in two more conservative districts.

Fortunately, we were well organized, and our old Rep. worked closely with the new one. We managed to make him more liberal!