Jack Yesner Week 14- Gerrymandering
Every ten years, the United States documents its population in its Census. Year-long efforts occur by hundreds of volunteers in which all people living in the country are counted. The census gives important insight into American demographics such as total population, state populations, age, and racial composition of states. However, the most important aspect of the census has to do with the upcoming political event known as redistricting. After the census concludes, all congressional districts must be redrawn to reflect the census data. While redistricting may seem like an easy task, in reality it sparks harsh and lengthy debates among state legislatures about how to redraw the maps. Some legislatures may wish to establish a fair and accurate district map, while others may wish to engage in gerrymandering.
Gerrymandering is the drawing of electoral districts to unfairly represent a particular party in the government. The term was established from the policies of Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry, who drew the Massachusetts district map to increase the power of the Democratic-Republican party. Gerrymandering has increased in prevalence in recent years, as both political parties seek to expand their influence in this way.
As the 2020 census concluded and its data released in 2021, state legislatures have once again been tasked with redrawing congressional districts in preparation for the 2022 House of Representatives elections. Debates in legislatures for this redistricting cycle have been especially contentious. For example, tensions arose in Florida when the state legislature and governor disagreed on how to proceed with redistricting. The state senate proposed a redistricting plan largely similar to the current district map, however governor Ron Desantis proposed a gerrymandered map that would redraw Democratic representative Al Lawson out of office. The Florida legislature has yet to decide which plan to proceed with.
Other states have already passed gerrymandered district maps. For example, the Republican legislatures in North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee have drawn maps benefitting the Republican party, while the Democratic legislatures in Illinois and New York have drawn maps benefitting the Democratic party. In some cases, when a gerrymandered map is so extreme, it can be challenged to a court and repealed. Recently, on February 4, 2022, a congressional map that had previously passed in North Carolina was struck down by the State Supreme Court. Because of this, the North Carolina legislature must redraw the state map within two weeks and accurately reflect the population in its map. Additionally, the congressional map that had passed in Alabama was struck down by the Alabama Supreme Court for violating the Voting Rights Act. This ruling ordered the Alabama legislature to redraw the district map to increase the representation of the minority population.
Do you think gerrymandering should be legal or outlawed? What is your opinion on the court cases that have occurred over gerrymandering?
https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-gerrymandering
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/nyregion/redistricting-gerrymandering-ny.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/01/desantis-florida-weigh-in-on-congressional-map-00004283
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/05/1078481564/north-carolina-redistricting
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/us/politics/alabama-redistricting-map-court.html
Your blog post has brought me back to AP Human Geo learning about politics. It’s hard for people nowadays to work without being influenced by politics and their political beliefs. I think gerrymandering should remain in place because it is how we have run our country for years, and compared to other government systems, ours works better than most.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if gerrymandering should still be put in p[lace. I learned not only through your blog post but also past history classes in high school that gerrymandering is what has been done with our government. We (the United States) have a good government compared to others just like what Ariella said. I feel as if there are court cases since many feel excluded due to being redistricted and outlawed.
ReplyDeleteI understand why many may believe that gerrymandering should be outlawed, although personally, I think that gerrymandering is a vital job our government needs. Without gerrymandering, there would be no way to organize the political views of states' districts. Yes, it may be unfair to some people who don't have the same political views as the majority in their district, but to be fair there is no way to change that other than moving to a different district.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that gerrymandering should be put in place. It is unfair and biased, and we should figure out a way to do a similar thing but in a more effective way.
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