Senate Democrats Gerrymandering Reforms Unserious

Democrats see no problem in pursuing aggressive gerrymanders while also decrying the evils of gerrymandering. After all, they tell us, Republicans started it and Democrats want to ban it nationwide. But as I detailed in the first installment of this series, Republicans didn’t start it: Recent Republican advantages pale in comparison to prior and long-standing Democratic advantages. As I illustrated in the second column, the centerpiece of the House Democrats’ supposed gerrymandering ban — requiring each state to use a nonpartisan commission to draw maps — would be unconstitutional if imposed by the federal government, and has failed repeatedly when tried by state governments.

Democrats have substantially rewritten their redistricting proposals in the Senate. S. 2747, the “Freedom to Vote Act,” takes a dramatically different approach from the bill that passed the House. It removes all the requirements for commissions. But it is not even-handed. It is, in short, designed not to ban gerrymandering but rather to protect Democrats’ preferred tactics while allowing them to file lawsuits against Republican redistricting.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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Democrats see no problem in pursuing aggressive gerrymanders while also decrying the evils of gerrymandering. After all, they tell us, Republicans started it and Democrats want to ban it nationwide. But as I detailed in the first installment of this series, Republicans didn’t start it: Recent Republican advantages pale in comparison to prior and long-standing Democratic advantages. As I illustrated in the second column, the centerpiece of the House Democrats’ supposed gerrymandering ban — requiring each state to use a nonpartisan commission to draw maps — would be unconstitutional if imposed by the federal government, and has failed repeatedly when tried by state governments.

Democrats have substantially rewritten their redistricting proposals in the Senate. S. 2747, the “Freedom to Vote Act,” takes a dramatically different approach from the bill that passed the House. It removes all the requirements for commissions. But it is not even-handed. It is, in short, designed not to ban gerrymandering but rather to protect Democrats’ preferred tactics while allowing them to file lawsuits against Republican redistricting.