US Election: Gerrymandering

Facts

• OVERVIEW: Partisan gerrymandering involves drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in a way that allows one party to solidify its hold on power by leveraging the process of legislative redistricting — which occurs every 10 years — to create political maps more favorable to its own candidates. Although it has always been a hot-button issue in American politics, it has taken a more prominent role in recent years.^[1][2]
• RACIAL GERRYMANDERING: Drawing electoral district lines predominantly based on race has been illegal since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While this prohibits maps that seek to dilute the voting power of minority groups, it also generally applies to maps that favor minority groups.^[3][4]
• RECENT HISTORY: The current resurgence of issues surrounding partisan gerrymandering dates back to 2008, when Republicans took over both houses of Congress and the White House. During this time, Republicans formulated the Redistricting Majority Project (REDMAP), which successfully helped them take over control of the redistricting process. Partisan gerrymandering largely favors Republicans because of the party's control of drawing districts (44 for the upcoming Congressional election).^[5][6]
• DEMOCRAT REACTION: In response, Democrats formed the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) in 2017. In addition to backing Democratic candidates in Republican-controlled areas, the NDRC has led the battle to bring what they consider unfair maps in front of the courts. The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), however, has been reluctant to get involved in redistricting.^[7]
• LEGAL EFFORTS: Despite the efforts of members of both parties to redraw districts in their favor ahead of the 2024 election — and the lawsuits and court rulings that typically come after this process — just a handful of districts nationwide are nearly guaranteed to change hands. Among these efforts were Democrats winning legal fights in order to exercise the Voting Rights Act to increase Black residents' representation in Alabama and Louisiana, two solid Republican states.^[8]
• PUBLIC SENTIMENT: Per a 2022 Pew Research Center study, 55% of Americans are unsure of their views on how redistricting is handled, with 24% unsatisfied and 19% satisfied. 85% of those polled said they've heard little or nothing about redistricting in their state. Separate polling has also found widespread bipartisan opposition among voters when redistricting is framed as helping a political party stay in power, with about 9 in 10 disliking the concept.^[9][10]

Sources: ^[1]NPR Online News, ^[2]Brennan Center for Justice (a), ^[3]Redistrictingonline, ^[4]Justice, ^[5]FiveThirtyEight, ^[6]Brennan Center for Justice (b), ^[7]New Yorker, ^[8]CNN, ^[9]The Hill and ^[10]Pew Research Center.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Daily Kos. Gerrymandering is terrible for numerous reasons, not the least of which is how Republicans use it to dilute the voting power of minorities. It should be banned. But refraining from gerrymandering while Republicans continue to seize power is not the answer. Democrats must fight back — including gerrymandering in their own interests — until they have enough power to abolish it.
• Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. Democrats never complained about gerrymandering until Republicans got better than them at it. Then, all of a sudden, it became an evil practice. But Democrats are exaggerating the power of the gerrymander. If it were as all-powerful as they make it out to be, no political party would ever lose control of its districts. This is a normal political practice that Democrats engage in as well.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by Center for American Progress. The complaining from Democrats and Republicans isn't legitimate because both parties gerrymander massively, eliminating meaningful electoral competition and robbing the American people of their voice. This has only led to the rise of political extremes, making bipartisan compromise all but impossible. American democracy has become far from fair, and election laws should change.