Recently a federal court in Ohio ruled that the congressional map is unconstitutional and a new one needs to be redrawn before the 2020 elections. This is a step in the right direction as both parties are guilty of gerrymandering- or redrawing boundaries to favor their own re-election. This issue has been in the spotlight more recently as people feel unrepresented by their elected officials. So far the Supreme Court has been reluctant to get involved in cases surrounding elected officials, however, the decision made by the judges in Ohio could force their hand.
Gerrymandering has been a tool long used by parties to ensure that the incumbent party keeps their seats. In states that are split between the conservative and liberal ideologies, those that are in power use their district drawing abilities to lessen the power of their opponents. The results have been wildly drawn districts and the belief that peoples' votes don't matter. Take Austin, Texas as an example: surrounded by conservative counties and even states, Austin has become home to a wildly liberal community. To prevent Democrats from gaining even one seat in the House, Austin has been split amongst other counties to weaken the say of liberal locals.
With our advanced technology, it would be easy to redraw districts using a computer instead of leaving it in the hands of humans with ulterior motives. The Supreme Court has the ability to make that happen by siding with the Ohio judges and ruling that gerrymandering is unconstitutional. That decision would mean that after the 2020 census we could have unbiased districts and an equal say in electing representatives no matter who the reigning party is.
Gerrymandering has been a tool long used by parties to ensure that the incumbent party keeps their seats. In states that are split between the conservative and liberal ideologies, those that are in power use their district drawing abilities to lessen the power of their opponents. The results have been wildly drawn districts and the belief that peoples' votes don't matter. Take Austin, Texas as an example: surrounded by conservative counties and even states, Austin has become home to a wildly liberal community. To prevent Democrats from gaining even one seat in the House, Austin has been split amongst other counties to weaken the say of liberal locals.
With our advanced technology, it would be easy to redraw districts using a computer instead of leaving it in the hands of humans with ulterior motives. The Supreme Court has the ability to make that happen by siding with the Ohio judges and ruling that gerrymandering is unconstitutional. That decision would mean that after the 2020 census we could have unbiased districts and an equal say in electing representatives no matter who the reigning party is.
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