From: Larry Shade
Columbus
Once every decade new voting boundaries for states are drawn based on the national census. This redistricting is to create maps that are a portrait of where people are living in each state. Unfortunately, the practice of gerrymandering occurs in most states. Gerrymandering is where the boundaries are drawn within the state with the sole intention of influencing who gets elected.
This activity is a guarantee of minority rule and election. This has no more validity than the tactics used by authoritarian governments. It has a real impact on the balance of power in Congress and state legislatures. Gerrymandering affects all Americans but its most significant costs are borne by the communities of color. With the extreme political divide in the US today, redistricting is a bigger threat than ever.
Regardless of which party is responsible, it is the public who ultimately loses out. Rigged maps make elections less competitive, in turn making even more Americans feel like their votes don’t matter. The gerrymandering issued came before the Supreme Court in 2019. Sadly, the court decided by a 5-4 vote that partisan gerrymandering was a political issue that must be resolved by the elected branches of government, not the court.
Gerrymandering has been a thorn in the side of American democracy for 200 years. The written history of America will be haunted by the conundrum of this long-lasting gerrymandering. It is past time that our country’s leaders find the will and courage to end this blemish from continuing.
