There are two groups I’ll be highlighting in today’s focus on organizations working to overturn the disastrous gerrymandering engineered by the Republicans the past 7 years.
According to the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, (NDRC), an organization chaired by former US Attorney General, Eric Holder:
In 2010, Republicans rode a midterm wave into power, winning state legislative and gubernatorial elections around the country. That gave them disproportional control over the nation’s redistricting process—where state leaders redraw congressional and state legislative lines following the nation’s Census to make sure districts include roughly the same number of people.
In state after state, Republican legislatures and governors used this power over the process to ensure permanent Republican majorities and diminish the voting impact of Democrats and minorities.
*emphasis is mine
The results are not just disastrous for our Congressional representation, but it also incorrectly alters the accepted narrative of voters’ views and beliefs; as it falsely appears that the GOP are more popular than Democrats.
The strategy of the NDRC is 4-fold:
- Litigation — Challenge unconstitutional maps in court
- Mobilization — Build infrastructure to engage people in the redistricting process
- Reform — Enact fairer redistricting systems in the states
- Elections — Elect Democrats in targeted seats to level the playing field
Another organization working to remedy the wrongs of the recent GOP-led gerrymandering is the Brennan Center for Justice, part of the NYU School of law, who describe themselves as:
Part think tank, part advocacy group, part cutting-edge communications hub, we start with rigorous research. We craft innovative policies. And we fight for them — in Congress and the states, the courts, and in the court of public opinion.
Part of their mission is centered on redistricting:
The Brennan Center supports reforming the redistricting process so that it is independent, transparent, and ensures that communities are fully and fairly represented in Congress and the nation’s legislative bodies.
Their description of the damage done by gerrymandering illustrates the importance of their work and the work of other organizations:
Gerrymandering impacts communities across the country. Underrepresented minority communities are often hit the hardest when redistricting dilutes their political influence and makes it hard to gain a foothold in our democracy.
*emphasis mine
In closing, have faith that these organizations, and more, are working every day to make our democracy more fair and representative of voters intentions.
Want to find out more about these organizations?
NRDC: https://democraticredistricting.com or @DemRedistrict
Brennan Center: https://www.brennancenter.org or @BrennanCenter