Gerrymandering isn’t cheating. Pennsylvania law says so.
Gerrymandering isn’t unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court says so.
Gerrymandering means voting district maps are drawn so that the party in power gets more seats in the legislature than the number of votes would justify. And they draw as many “safe districts” as they can. Districts are “safe” if the party in power has so many voters, there is no point to run against them.
All this might not be illegal, and it might not be unconstitutional, but it is corrupt.
Legislators can feel “safe” in their seats as long as they follow instructions from party leadership. (Wait, what about following instructions from voters?)
When legislators know they can get more votes than any opponent, they are free to concentrate on laws that favor lobbyists, corporations, and big donors.
That’s what I mean by “corrupt.”
If legislators don’t do what the leadership says, they get “primaried”. Party leaders are not inclined to choose a new candidate that is moderate, they choose one that is more extreme. Our government gets more and more divided. And our government gets noisier.
Gerrymandering breaks the trust between voters and lawmakers. Voters feel cut out. (Well, they arecut out.) Many voters believe there is no reason to bother voting. (They do have a point, don’t they?)
Fair Districts PA is a nonpartisan project of the PA League of Women Voters. A statewide coalition of individuals and organizations, who believe free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. Their mission is to ensure the redistricting process in Pennsylvania is impartial, transparent and accountable.
Learn more at www.fairdistrictspa.com
Viola Crawford,
League of Women Voters
Central Delaware County
(7 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5)
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