Sunday, October 26, 2025

Gerrymandering and the American Democracy

Gerrymandering 
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n19/aziz-huq/short-cuts
The notion that democratic elections are supposed to allow voters to make a real choice between candidates, or even kick out the bums in power, sits uneasily with the combination of untrammelled redistricting power and predictable political preferences that characterise the US today.


What to Know About Redistricting and Gerrymandering
https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/redistricting-and-gerrymandering-what-to-know/
 
America Is Fracturing into Red and Blue Nations, Redistricting Fight Shows
https://www.wsj.com/politics/us-gerrymandering-political-divide-a2a83a28
Less than 20% of Americans live in a state where the minority party has a meaningful voice in governance.
 
How did we get all this gerrymandering? A short history of the Republican redistricting scheme
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/09/gerrymandering-republican-redistricting
A plan to redistrict states to benefit Republicans was conceived of 15 years ago. It’s been an enormous success. 

Free-speech hypocrisy is a symptom of the democratic decay that leads to authoritarianism. 

The Death of Competition in American Elections
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/23/us/politics/us-elections-gerrymandering.html
Most 2024 legislature races were decided by low-turnout or meaningless primaries. The trend is making politics more polarized and eroding public trust.