Get Wise: Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering is Where Politicians Pick Their Voters.

Understanding gerrymandering is one of the keys to understanding modern politics and gridlock in the United States of America. Gerrymandering is when the politicians in power, in a particular state, redraw the voting district boundaries to favor their political party. So for example, if the Republicans hold power in a state, they can redraw the voting districts in that state, to lump republican voters together. This ensures that the district will stay Republican for a very long time. Creating the far red districts that bring far right-wing candidates like Marjorie Taylor Green or Lauren Boebart into the United States Congress.

Now both parties do this so don’t kid yourself by acting like Democrats are innocent. But, Republicans by and large get the benefit of this creative redistricting. They are a minority party by definition. There are fewer rich people than poor people, and likely it will always be that way. As long as we live under capitalism as our economic driver. So the Republicans need gerrymandering to stay in office. They also control a lot of state governments that are much less progressive than the national Congress. Which gives them the power to enact gerrymandering in the first place. Democrats allow it because the gerrymandering also keeps them in office. So even though it’s not good for the country and empowers a minority party. It’s okay because it makes it easier for them to maintain their seats in Congress as well. Now all the Democratic voters have been moved out of the Republican districts. Have been put into solid blue districts from the gerrymandering of the right and left. Making it very easy for Democrats to hold their seats in Congress as well.

In most cases if you just did state-wide elections the Democrats would win, but not by much.

So gerrymandering is a very powerful political tool, especially for the Republicans. Since the elections are already so close gerrymandering can easily make a difference in a swing district. Gerrymandering has gotten so out of control in the United States that the districts are bizarre shapes now and often get rejected as partisan by the Supreme Court of the United States. This is actually something that just happened in Florida when power Drunk Governor Ron DeSantis tried to redistrict the state in such a way that Republicans would get even more leverage in Florida than they already have. Which has implications for state and national politics since Florida is an important swing state.  No matter what party you are from it’s important that all Americans realize that gerrymandering though legal is essentially cheating and should not be allowed. It’s an affront to democracy and a bunch of high-end political bullshit. That is currently a danger to the entire country and our way of life.

Votes should be fair and elections trusted. What these political parties are doing to our election credibility currently is a disgrace to all Americans who have come before us and our future ancestors.