Do you find yourself reading about gerrymandering recently? Would you know what changes should be made to gerrymandering if given the opportunity to vote on reforms? With all of the elections coming up, becoming informed on this topic may be more important now than ever.

What Is Gerrymandering?

Recently, in some states, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, voters have made an impact on local gerrymandering reform. More states could follow. It’s a contentious topic these days, with critics claiming it threatens basic democratic values. The contentiousness lies with partisan gerrymandering. It is the act of redrawing voting districts to benefit one party over another in an election.

To begin, Gerrymandering is a practice dating back to 1812. Elbridge Gerry created the first irregularly shaped district in order to boost election chances of his fellow Democratic-Republicans, along with his run for governor.  It did not provide Gerry with the victory he sought. However, his show of his loyalty to the Democratic-Republican party impressed President Madison so much so that he included Gerry as his running mate in the election that same year.

The Problem with Partisan Gerrymandering

Despite its recent newsworthiness, categorizing the effect of gerrymandering as either positive or negative is not always easy. Although one political party or group of people can benefit,  many times districts are drawn to represent an existing geographic community where people share a cultural or racial identity. In these instances, gerrymandering can be used to empower voters constitutional rights and protect minority voters. For example, Illinois’s 4th Congressional District, nicknamed “earmuffs” for its shape, combines two Hispanic parts of the city into a single district to increase the chances of that a community member will become that district’s representative.

Presently, there are no laws against partisan gerrymandering. Recently throughout the country, voters have been questioning whether this is to their benefit. Many voters worry that it can lead to an unfair advantage or disadvantage during elections. It may prevent fair and effective representation.

As Americans and as voters, it is promising to know that concerns about the fairness of redistricting are coming to light and being questioned. In effect, American voters want their vote to count and want their opinions on this topic to be heard, including their opinions of gerrymandering.

Supreme Court Cases: The Fight Over Fair Redistricting

Next, questions about the fairness of gerrymandering from North Carolina and Wisconsin voters have been discussed in the Supreme Court.

The discrepancies between the number of party representatives and the percentage of voters in North Carolina and Wisconsin have led voters to question the fairness of partisan gerrymandering. North Carolina and Wisconsin each had cases involving redistricting sent to the Supreme Court.  In this case, Democrats had argued that the Republican drawn maps prevented fair and effective representation.

Recent Gerrymandering Reforms in Ohio and Pennsylvania

Conversely, cases in Ohio and Pennsylvania provide evidence that voters and individual states may be capable of voicing their opinions and making these decisions on their own. In Ohio’s most recent primary election this past May, a gerrymandering reform proposal was passed by voters. It affected how Ohio draws its congressional district lines after the 2020 Census. This past March, the Pennsylvania state supreme court decided that the state would get a new House of Representatives map this year, after they ruled that the current map was a Republican partisan gerrymander.

Why Your Vote Matters in the Fight Against Gerrymandering

Until the courts resolve the legality of gerrymandering, the only action voters can take to ensure that our opinions and values are heard, is to continue to vote. Voting efforts in Ohio and Pennsylvania prove that voters are beginning to have an impact on the topic themselves. Voting is never useless. Ultimately, the ability  to exercise this right is why this practice remains in question. One way which you can remain an active and informed voter is by utilizing the tools and information provided to you by We Vote.

Tools to Stay Informed: How We Vote Can Help

Lastly, WeVote cuts through the clutter to help you understand what’s on your ballot. Our open platform empowers voters to create and share voter guides that aggregate information and opinions across personal networks. So you can help your friends be better voters too.

WeVote is a collaboration between two nonpartisan nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4)) based in Oakland, California. Our software is open source. Our work is driven by the nearly 100 volunteers who have contributed so far. Inspired by groups like Code for America and the Mozilla Foundation, we use technology to make democracy stronger by increasing voter turnout. Through our nonpartisan, open source platform, we’ll help you become an informed voter, up and down the ballot.

Use We Vote to see your ballot and easily create a shareable digital voter guide. The guides are informed by issues you care about, and people and organizations you trust.

Learn More: https://wevote.us/more/organization

Alexandra Deas is passionate about utilizing the law to allow citizens to have full access to our right to vote. She has spent the past few years working at a private law firm in the Bay Area. She recently moved to Seattle where she is working for the organization, Disability Rights Washington.