[ad_1]
It marked the latest episode of gerrymandering’s long national history to prevent Democrats from leaving Texas and repainting Republican-led Congresses in the state’s Capitol districts.
The term “gerrymander” was coined in America more than 200 years ago as a sleazy way to describe political manipulation in legislative mapping.
The word has stood the test of time as American politics remained fiercely competitive.
Why is it called gerrymandering?
This period dates back to 1812, when Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Jerry signed a bill that redrawns the state Senate district to benefit Democrats and opposition parties. Some thought the strangely shaped district looked like a salamander.
The newspaper illustration, called “The Gerry-Mander,” is a term that came to describe the district that was later drawn for political gain. Jerry lost his re-election as governor in 1812, but won the election that year as vice president of President James Madison.
Who will be in charge of the gerrymandering?
In many states, like Texas, the state legislature is responsible for portraying a district of Congress, subject to the governor’s approval or veto. To balance the population of a district, you will need to redraw the district map every ten years after the census.
However, in some states there is nothing preventing legislators from rezoning more frequently.
To limit gerrymandering, some states have commissioned rezoning to special committees consisting of citizens or bipartisan panels of politicians. Democrat officials in some states with the committee say they are trying to avoid them to counter Republican constituencies in Texas.
How do gerrymanders work?
If a political party controls both the parliament and the governor’s office, or if it has a very large legislative majority that can override the veto, it can effectively attract the district to its advantage.
One common way of gerrymandering is to allow the majority of political parties to gain more surrounding districts in order to draw a map where the majority party packs voters supporting the other side into several districts.
Another common approach is for the majority party to dilute the power of opposition voters by spreading them across multiple districts.
Is political gerrymandering illegal?
It is not under the US Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled in a 2019 case that began in North Carolina that federal courts have no power to determine whether partisan gerrymandering has gone too far. Secretary John Roberts wrote: “The Constitution does not provide an objective measure to assess whether district maps treat political parties fairly.”
The Supreme Court noted that partisan gerrymander claims could continue to be decided in state courts under their own constitution and law. However, some state courts, including the North Carolina Supreme Court, ruled that they have no authority to decide on partisan gerrymandering claims.
Are there restrictions on changing districts?
yes. While it is difficult to challenge legislative districts on political grounds, the Supreme Court upholds the challenge on racial grounds. In an Alabama 2023 case, the High Court said the Congressional district, depicted by the state’s Republican-led legislature, was likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of black residents to vote. The court proceeded with a similar claim in Louisiana. Both states then rebrew the districts.
What do the data show about gerrymandering?
Statisticians and political scientists have developed various methods of trying to quantify the partisan advantage that may be attributed to gerrymandering.
Republicans who manage district changes in more states than Democrats created powerful gerrymanders using 2010 census data. An Associated Press analysis of that 10 year constituency showed Republicans have enjoyed greater political advantages in more states than either party over the past 50 years.
But Democrats responded to match Republican gerrymanders after the 2020 census. Rezoning Committee recruitment also restricted gerrymandering in some states. AP Analysis of the 2022 Election – Under the First New Map – It turns out that Republicans have won just one more U.S. House seat than expected based on the average share of votes received nationwide. It was one of the most politically balanced outcomes over the years.
The Texas Democrat strike itself cannot stop the ultimate passage of the rezoning bill, but it can run out of clocks at a special 30-day legislative meeting. David Goins of NBC 5 is following that part of our story.
[ad_2]Source link
