OPINION: Democrats Discuss — Gerrymandering is a direct threat to democracy
Megan Gale is a sophomore studying special education. She is a member of the Ohio University College Democrats. The following article reflects the opinions and views of the author and does not represent the thoughts of the Ohio University College Democrats.
This is a submitted column. Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.
Every decade, legislators across America participate in gerrymandering, which is when district lines are redrawn in an attempt to silence the voices of the opposing party.
Gerrymandering is a direct threat to democracy because gerrymandered districts are not truly representative of the population. When gerrymandering takes place, the voices of Americans are hushed.
It is next to impossible to beat an incumbent in a congressional race if the district is gerrymandered.
In any other competition, rigging the game to win would cause disqualification. In politics, however, it's celebrated. For example, Tonya Harding was banned from figure skating when her ex-husband hired a hitman to attack Harding’s rival, Nancy Kerrigan, in an attempt to injure her so she could not compete.
In politics, gerrymandering is accepted by some and practiced by many, but it is no different than hitting your competition with a lead pipe in the knees to make sure they can't compete.
Gerrymandering takes away bipartisanship by allowing no compromise in districts.
A district that is 80% Democrat will not take into consideration any of the other 20% because the Democrats are the overwhelming majority, and vice versa.
Gerrymandered districts notoriously pack blue areas together to take away the power those votes hold. In Illinois, they have a district nicknamed “the Latin Earmuffs” because it connects two predominantly Latino areas with one road. In doing so, it packs registered Democrats into a contorted district, ensuring that those voters cast ballots in a safely Democratic block. The end result is a weakening of the power of their votes and more Republican districts than the electoral math should reasonably yield.
Because Democrats are packed together as tightly as possible in one district, Republicans have a chance to win surrounding districts even though they are vastly outnumbered geographically. Gerrymandering is not something unique to one party — both the Democratic and Republican parties do this. It is un-American and un-democratic.
A nation that claims to be a democracy has many roadblocks to true democracy. Gerrymandering is only one of the many obstacles that true democracy faces in America.
Gerrymandering hurts all Americans, but specifically Americans of color. Urban districts are divided up so that the Black vote is weakened, therefore, limiting democracy.
One way political parties have tried to split up the Black vote in the past is to make sure that the Black population in the district did not exceed 35% or 40% of the population. In doing so, the Black voters were never in the majority, even if the population was mostly Black.
Splitting up urban areas to water down the Black vote does not allow for a government that serves the needs of its population. How can a congressman do what is right for their district if the district includes part of a major city as well as large swaths of farmland?
The needs of people who live in a city versus the needs of people living in the country are vastly different and cannot be represented by one member of Congress. America is supposed to have a representative government, and gerrymandering ensures this ideal is not achieved.