The good news is Americans of all political stripes agree on something. 75% of us view gerrymandering as a major problem. Only 7% say it should be allowed.
There is no room for it in a functional democracy.
What is gerrymandering?
Redistricting is the process by which state governments determine which groups of citizens vote together for specific seats. From the US House of Representatives to State Senators and representatives.
Political parties use math and maps to create scenarios that favor their party. Politicians choose their voters, so voters can't fairly choose their representation. This is known as gerrymandering.
What's the problem with that?
It disenfranchises citizens by artificially skewing representation. Legislators don't have to work for everyone, because they don’t have to worry about the general election. It leads to gridlock.
They do have to worry about primary-election voters, who favor more extreme platforms. If special interests don’t get the vote they want, they will primary the candidate. This is a major reason the government is dysfunctional and more responsive to big money than voters.
What have we tried to fix this?
The redistricting is handled by the states. Over a dozen states have laws aimed at making the process fair. Not driven by political goals, but rather representing the people. As we've seen this year those laws are sometimes rolled back. When one state
Why isn't it illegal?
The Voting Rights Act made racial gerrymandering illegal in states that had a history of discriminatory voting rights, including gerrymandering. Many of those protections have been struck down recently by the Supreme Court.
Additionally, the Supreme Court refuses to deal with political gerrymandering. Saying that is a state issue. Even when the gerrymandering is for the House of Representatives, disenfranchising voters around the nation.
What's the fix?
FairVote.org has been working on this issue. They are prioritizing proportional ranked-choice voting. If implemented in Federal law, it would end gerrymandering for federal office nationwide in one fell swoop.
A bill has even been kicked around the House. The Fair Representation Act (H.R. 7740), reintroduced in the U.S. House in March 2024. It included the following:
- Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV): Requires RCV for all U.S. House and Senate elections, allowing voters to rank candidates by preference.
- Multi-Member Districts: Replaces single-member districts with larger, multi-member districts (electing 3–5 members) for the House, allowing proportional representation.
- Independent Redistricting: Requires all states to use independent commissions for drawing district lines, eliminating partisan gerrymandering.
49 cities, counties, and states use RCV in public elections, up from only two in 2000.
Does that fix everything?
No. State legislatures would not be impacted. That would remain a state-by-state battle for responsive government. Stay tuned for more on Wisconsin's efforts in this area.
When anxious or angry, the right action is your best bet. Get involved with Fair Vote so we can get this done. Working through interest groups is our best bet to impact government as citizens. It's how the NRA wields influence; it's how MADD helped change laws around drunk driving. We have critical mass; we just have to learn how to wield it. Have hope, take collective action.