Gerrymandering: How to Stop It

Republicans in a number of states are engaged in artful redrawing of congressional-district boundaries for their own benefit. This has provoked cries of outrage from Democrats, who, as a matter of deep principle, would prefer that the boundaries be drawn to favor their candidates instead. Indeed, that is exactly what Democrats have done wherever they have had the power to do so. In my home state of Colorado, power is somewhat balanced. This has forced the two parties to split the spoils of election rigging, creating several safe districts for each. As a result, we have been able to gift the nation with such singular talents as Diana DeGette (D) and Lauren Boebert (R), two remarkable women who could never be elected from competitive districts. In other locations, gerrymandering has facilitated the careers of such individuals as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, Madison Cawthorn, Paul Gosar, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

This should bring home an important point. While political operatives may object to gerrymandering when it places their party at an electoral disadvantage, there is really a much bigger issue involved.

About the Author

Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin is an aerospace engineer and the author of twelve books, most recently The New World on Mars: What We Can Create on the Red Planet.

Featured Tags

Manage following

Voting

Voters

Republicans in a number of states are engaged in artful redrawing of congressional-district boundaries for their own benefit. This has provoked cries of outrage from Democrats, who, as a matter of deep principle, would prefer that the boundaries be drawn to favor their candidates instead. Indeed, that is exactly what Democrats have done wherever they have had the power to do so. In my home state of Colorado, power is somewhat balanced. This has forced the two parties to split the spoils of election rigging, creating several safe districts for each. As a result, we have been able to gift the nation with such singular talents as Diana DeGette (D) and Lauren Boebert (R), two remarkable women who could never be elected from competitive districts. In other locations, gerrymandering has facilitated the careers of such individuals as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, Madison Cawthorn, Paul Gosar, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

This should bring home an important point. While political operatives may object to gerrymandering when it places their party at an electoral disadvantage, there is really a much bigger issue involved.