Source: Independent Lines Advocacy
The Associated Press came out with a new analysis of the effects of gerrymandering, and their conclusions were not
surprising:
49 percent of Americans went to the polls last year backing Republican candidates in House races throughout the country, yet the GOP controls 55 percent of the U.S. House of Representatives.
However, there was a sign of hope, a way that we can fix the problem. From the Arizona Daily Star:
The results indicate Arizona has among the lowest measures of unequal representation among the states analyzed by The Associated Press. The reason, some say, is how the state draws its political districts every 10 years, relying on an independent redistricting commission.
That’s right. Arizona, which has had an Independent Redistricting Commission since voters put reform in the ballot in 2000, shows almost no signs of unfair district lines.
Sam Wang of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project says it best: “if partisan gerrymandering goes unchecked, it’s
going to be worse – no matter who’s in charge.” That’s why it is important to put Independent Redistricting Commissions on the ballot.
