The modern violations of voting rights in the United States 

Gerrymandering. The word seems childish and comical, but quite the opposite can be said when it is understood in a deeper context. I first saw this term in my AP Human Geography textbook freshman year. Superficially scanning through a series of oddly-shaped maps, I read its definition: geographic lines drawn to make voting districts in favor of the party in power. At the time, this concept did not strike me as particularly important or foreboding. It was simply a fact to memorize.

 

The term’s definition has recently meant much more than drawing convoluted district lines; it is synonymous with disenfranchisement, manipulation, and disparity. Nationwide reports vividly describe the dangers of gerrymandering. A 2013 simulation by Princeton Election Consortium, Sam Wang, found that in seven Republican-controlled states and one Democratic-controlled state, over four million voters were disenfranchised. Using methods such as “packing” and “cracking,” partisan gerrymandering isolates racially and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities into a reduced number of districts, resulting in essentially “wasted” votes, as evidenced by the efficiency gap. The practice divides deeply liberal or conservative communities into little segments to undermine their political prowess.

 

Gerrymandering, in its degree of danger, is as severe as the restriction of basic human rights, but its ubiquity supersedes all other domestic issues.

 

As an eager student of politics, I began to worry about how I could fully partake in a system ruled by something so sinister and malevolent. I felt betrayed. The government I had studied and believed in was founded on principles of equal representation, but the actual government was functioning by distorting and dismantling these values. Representatives were selected with the purpose to represent their constituents’ opinions, but they instead created rules that served their desires for power, popularity, and reelection.

 

The 2018 midterm election looms nearer everyday, and I look forward to when I can finally vote. I eagerly think of expressing my voice with my paper ballot. But I ask myself with hesitation, will my vote even matter? Inspired by the importance of free and equitable elections, I am passionate about defending the system that I hope to participate in one day from the destructive power of gerrymandering. I know without action from myself and others, the issue will continue to remain unsolved, affecting countless communities. I want people to matter, no matter their political preference. Without change, the cycle of disenfranchisement will perpetuate even more profoundly.

 

Even though the issue has been frequently addressed, gerrymandering is so complex and deeply-rooted in our nation’s politics that it is difficult to entirely fix with one solution. In fact, even identifying gerrymandered districts is a challenge in itself. Simply drawing square districts in square states will not solve the issue. People do not live in clean or clearly defined regions; their only uniformity is in their randomness. So the solution will need to come from creative and educated sources who seek to truly understand the need to match the ways we live to the districts that represent us. To eradicate this issue from the center, a comprehensive solution combining the intervention of the courts, the intelligence of technology, and the innovation of academics should all be utilised.  There is a need for citizen oversight groups as well as statistical analysis to redefine and create balanced district maps throughout the nation.

 

Last fall, our Supreme Court had the chance to tackle this complicated matter again. For the first time in over a decade, the Supreme Court listened to the question of the legality of partisan gerrymandering on the eve of our next census and subsequent reallocation of voting districts, but the decision was still divided among the justices.

 

This week, Republican officials will appeal the verdict of the legality of North Carolina’s congressional map after federal judges stated that the creation was unconstitutional and racially biased. The appeal will initiate the Supreme Court to have a say in this matter once more. To rectify a violation of American rights and set our nation back on the path towards a truly representative democracy, the first step should commence with people discussing more about the problems and effects of partisan and racial gerrymandering in this nation.