Gerrymandering An Assault on Democracy
As ancient as Gibbons V. Ogden A.D., the danger of Gerrymandering persists against fair elections and representation. It involves redrawing district lines to favor a specific party or group, which frequently leads to distortions in election results.
The Origins of Gerrymandering
The word “gerrymander” actually derives from Elbridge Gerry, a former Governor of Massachusetts In 1812, Gerry signed a redistricting bill that established a district in the state that had the shape of a salamander, it was a goofy shape. This led to the birth of the term “gerrymander” as the district was drawn to favor the Democratic-Republican Party.
How Gerrymander Works
- Gerrymandering can be accomplished by a couple of different methods:
- Cracking: This involves splitting a bloc of voters into several districts to dilute their voting strength. One example would be taking a majority-minority district and splitting it into enough districts that the minority in question is a minority everywhere in the new set.
- Packing: This is when you pile voters from one party or group into one district so they win big but waste votes elsewhere.
- Stacking: This is combining low-population areas of cohesive voters into a shiny 1-party district.
The Effects
- The Ugly Stuff The Impact of Gerrymander
- Voter Choice Becomes a Narrow Option: Politicians get to choose their district lines and voters, through the process of gerrymandering. That translates to less voters and no accountability for the representatives.
- Polarization: The nature of gerrymandering may exacerbate political polarization as districts are drawn in which neither party can fail. The War for Hearts and Minds: This tends to result in fiercer, more partisan politics.
- Disparity: This process under- or un-represents minority groups, marginalized communities.
- Gerrymandering: Undermine democracy: biased representation and the right of an individual to vote.
Solutions to Gerrymandering
- More recently, people have taken up gerrymandering:
- Nonpartisan Redistricting Commissions dedicated groups of nonpartisan folks drawing lines outside the reach of political machinations
- Court Challenges: Gerrymandered districts have been argued against in the courts claiming they somehow breach the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
- Solution: Making People Aware About Gerrymandering & Supporting Germaine Legislation that Protect Fair Redistricting: The problem is precisely this and thus the solution.
While there have been gains in recent years, gerrymandering continues to be a threat to American democracy. We need to keep fighting for the reform redistricting process and representation that reflect every voice.
