Gerrymandering is when during the routine process of redistricting, politicians create voting districts that favor their own party in elections. Politicians shouldn’t pick their own voters! This is unfair to all voters and often leads to the underrepresentation of minority groups.
Right now, it seems like gerrymandering is everywhere. The Supreme Court is poised to make racial gerrymandering legal. President Trump is encouraging Republican-led states to redistrict in their own favor before November’s elections, and Democrat-led states are fighting back. Both parties have a history of gerrymandering in many states over time.
Do you know how gerrymandered your state is?
The Princeton Gerrymandering Project can tell you! Their nonpartisan, data-driven Redistricting Report Card grades each state’s voting districts on fairness, competitiveness, and other features. Your Easy A this week is to take a few minutes to visit their map and see your state’s score!
Knowledge is power, and the more you know about how voting and elections work in your state, the more powerful your voice – and your vote – can be!