In the annals of American political history, few terms evoke as much controversy as gerrymandering – a practice synonymous with electoral manipulation. Its origins trace back to 1812, when Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry approved a redistricting plan that contorted one district into such a bizarre shape that a local newspaper scribe likened it to a salamander. Thus, with a stroke of editorial wit, the term gerrymander entered the American political lexicon, forever linking Gerry’s name to a tactic that continues to shape electoral outcomes.
Yet, to remember Gerry solely for this association is to overlook the breadth of his contributions to the founding of the United States. A committed patriot, Gerry was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and served as the fifth Vice President of the United States. However, it is the term gerrymandering that will always be his legacy.
If there are two political creatures that are not in danger of going extinct but should be are term limits and gerrymandering.
The gerrymander continues to not only thrive but is evolving. Not convinced? Gerrymandering has become so abstract that an art collector in Manhattan paid untold millions for a Picasso, only to discover that it was a map of California’s congressional districts.
In all seriousness, today’s gerrymander isn’t just oddly shaped, slippery and strategic, it is a power-hungry politico that slithers through communities, carving up neighborhoods with precision and ambition, not for representation, but for domination and consolidation of power all while wearing a tailored suit.
This all results in federal representatives being less responsive to constituents, since their reelection isn’t threatened by general elections. If your congressional district map resembles a salamander doing a funky version of yoga — curved, stretched, and abnormally bloated – congratulations you have been gerrymandered good and hard, and chances are it was not for your benefit.
Thanks to gerrymandering in safe districts, the real contest happens in primaries, pushing candidates to appeal to the most ideological of voters. This only fuels continued polarization and makes bipartisan cooperation harder. The illusion of choice undermines the democratic principle of “one person, one vote.”
On the social media platform X, a pointed critique was recently delivered by Vice President J.D. Vance who underscored how Democrats have elevated gerrymandering into a political art form as a strategic manipulation of electoral boundaries for partisan gain. “The gerrymander in California is outrageous,” Vance posted recently on X. “Of their 52 congressional districts, nine of them are Republican. That means 17% of their delegation is Republican when Republicans regularly win 40% of the vote in that state. How can this possibly be allowed?”
To zero-in on what Vance was saying check the voting results of the 2024 presidential election. In Connecticut, Donald Trump received 41.9% of the popular vote, yet Connecticut has no Republicans in the House of Representatives. The same holds true for Hawaii, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. Not one Republican among them. Oregon has six House seats with one Republican despite Trump having received 41% of the popular vote. Maryland has eight House seats with only one being held by a Republican.
With gerrymandering twists, mail-in ballot marathons, border policies with the rigor of a welcome mat and a healthy dose of census inflation, electoral integrity has never been so creatively dismantled. Yet, against odds and algorithms, Republicans still hold a threadbare House majority – a political Dunkirk.
If congressional representation in blue states truly reflected how their citizens vote in presidential elections, Democrats would hold fewer seats in the House.
This disparity has prompted Texas to move forward with a mid-decade redistricting update, a needed step that has drawn fierce resistance from Democrats. With other red states considering similar actions, the stakes are clear: without fair and consistent representation, the integrity of our electoral process is at risk.
It is time for transparency and accountability in redistricting, ensuring that every vote carries equal weight, no matter the state.
The contemporary Democrat playbook reads like a masterclass in leftist ideology where rule-manipulation is sport. This is nothing but legal warfare as vast as it is relentless.
The media horde offers little help, acting more like a Democrat entourage than a watchdog. Their silence has replaced scrutiny, leaving the nation weaker as a result.
