"Gerrymandering is an attempt to thwart the will of the voters. It circumvents the vital process of democratic feedback by insulating politicians from political backlash."
"The current redistricting arms race was prompted by the conservative-controlled Supreme Court's 2019 ruling in Rucho v. Common Cause, which said partisan gerrymandering was a political issue the Court couldn't interfere with."
"If this happens, politicians would have a free hand to draw districts along partisan lines, and, as the Brennan Center notes, many politicians would see the Court's decision as an invitation to return to the racially discriminatory systems that previously entrenched."
Virginia voters approved a congressional map that decreases Republican-leaning districts from five to one. This change has led to complaints from Republicans about voter disenfranchisement due to gerrymandering. Gerrymandering undermines democratic processes by protecting politicians from backlash. The practice has historical roots, but recent developments were influenced by a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that limited judicial intervention in partisan gerrymandering. A forthcoming decision in Louisiana v. Callais may further weaken the Voting Rights Act, allowing more partisan districting.
Read at The Atlantic
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