By Roshan Hoban - Ireland and India
Coined in the 19th century, gerrymandering is the manipulation of redistricting lines in order to favor one party. In the US, every 10 years, states are redistricted in order to account for population changes. However, as the majority party in the State Legislature draws these maps, they have been known to use it for their own party benefit, either by cramming all opposing party voters into as few districts as possible or spreading them out until they are outnumbered (Corriher and Kennedy, Distorted Districts. . .). This is called gerrymandering. Throughout its existence, gerrymandering has distorted the democratic process as it becomes a larger issue that wreaks havoc on fair representation, as well as perpetuating discrimination.
Origins
Gerrymandering was first named in the 18th century when a Massachusetts governor, Gerry Elbridge, signed on a redistricting plan that would give his party much more political favor. In Elbridge’s Massachusetts, though his party only received 49% of the vote, they won 29 of 40 districts, exemplifying the extent to which gerrymandering can help a party to success. The “mander” part of the name comes from the word “salamander,” which was first created in political cartoons describing Elbridge Gerry’s skewed redistricting plan. However, even before then, throughout England, redistricting was incredibly biased in order to create small boroughs called “rotten boroughs” that rich political powers could easily buy for votes. English colonists then brought this concept to America in which it finally received its name (Little, How Gerrymandering Began. . .).
Discrimination
Gerrymandering in America has been historically shown to discriminate on the basis of race. After the civil war, when black men gained the right to vote in 1970, gerrymandering got exponentially worse in Southern states because the Southerners were averse to equal representation between them and black people. This led to an even more extreme level of redistricting in which snake-like districts were utilized which did not reflect normal, compact districts in the slightest. For example, in 1882, the state of South Carolina created a district that looked exactly like a “boa-constrictor” consisting of all black-majority districts so every other district would have a white majority (Corriher and Kennedy, Distorted Districts. . .). These discriminatory districts have only snowballed into the 21st century, denying minorities a fair right to vote in certain states.
Effects of Democracy
Overall, gerrymandering has many drastic effects on democracy, such as voter polarization and distorted representation. When the districts of a state are drawn specifically to make sure any representative not of the majority party is not elected, these representatives do not have to appeal themselves to a larger base, and instead concentrate on only their party. In turn, this increases political polarization as candidates are not forced to compromise and only reflect the specific interests of their party. Additionally, another product of gerrymandering, as political polarization has increased, is that Americans have been moving into politically like-minded communities, making democratic states even bluer and republican states even redder. This only adds to the polarization in America and diminishes any influence of moderates (Specter, A Primer on Gerrymandering. . .).
Another effect on democracy that is spurred from gerrymandering is distorted representation. As not everyone gets an equal vote due to distorted districts formed by gerrymandering, politicians are now choosing their voters instead of the other way around. In turn, this leads to the election of legislators who do not respond to the will of all people, clearly observed in the US congress. For example, in 2012, Republicans were able to outperform democrats with a solid 57% majority in the house though losing the popular vote by 1.17 million. This can be largely attributed to congressional gerrymandering, and is only one of countless examples in the US government– Brennan Center for Justice estimates that roughly 16 to 17 Republican seats in congress are a direct product of gerrymandering. This skew of legislators who are elected can create laws that do not reflect the true voice of the people, eroding against democracy itself.
Solutions
As for a solution to gerrymandering, a comprehensive approach needs to be created to mitigate gerrymandering and its effects, as modern technology only makes it easier to skew districts in favor of certain parties. One approach that could prove useful is creating bipartisan, independent redistricting committees in each state. By not having a political affiliation, the committees can redistrict states solely based on population evaluation and not any other factors such as political opinions. Implementing a clear, consistent guideline for each and every state to follow across America would minimize the manipulation of redistricting for political gain, thus mitigating the effects of gerrymandering. In the years to come, the public should expect a plethora of attempts at gerrymandering reform in order to rejuvenate America’s democracy.
Bibliography
Corriher, Billy, and Liz Kennedy. “Distorted Districts, Distorted Laws.” Center for American Progress, 19 Sept. 2017, www.americanprogress.org/article/distorted-districts-distorted-laws/.
“How Gerrymandering Began in the US.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/news/gerrymandering-origins-voting. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023.
Spector, Matthew, et al. “A Primer on Gerrymandering and Political Polarization.” Brookings, 9 Mar. 2022, www.brookings.edu/articles/a-primer-on-gerrymandering-and-political-polarization/.
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