Here we go again: Texas redistricting

In the article “Herewe go again: Texas redistricting”, published by My San Antonio, the Express-News Editorial Board talks about the constitutionality of gerrymandering.  Gerrymandering is, according to the Oxford dictionary, to “manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party of class.”  To an ordinary person, this sounds extremely illegal as it is basically discriminating against certain groups of people to favor a political party.  

The authors intended audience are the Texas voters, specifically Democrats and minorities.   This is because the gerrymandering in the State of Texas is targeted to minimize the power of Democratic voters. The author emphasizes that “gerrymandering for partisan purposes is as illegal as doing it to rob racial and ethnic minorities of representation.”  It is a form of discrimination as it indirectly prohibits minorities from letting their voice be heard. 

The author emphasizes that Texas, and Republicans, are not the only ones that do this; Democrats also do it.  The author even jokes by saying that “even educated Greens do it, or would if their numbers reached critical mass.”  The purpose of this was to stress that this is not only a local issue, it is a nationwide issue that has to be fixed. 

The author provides a solution to this issue by referencing former Justice John Paul Stevens’ book. Although the best solution for tackling the issue of gerrymandering is to making it entirely illegal, this is unlikely to happen.  The author provides a reasonable solution by stating that the next best solution is to take redistricting out of State legislative’s hands altogether.  He states that the redistricting should be in the hands of an independent redistricting commission. Some States have already implemented this solution, and it has been proven to work.  In article by the League of Women Voters, “New Report Examines InauguralCalifornia Redistricting Commission,” the author, Maggie Duncan, found that this process of an independent commission exceeded expectations.  The commissioners actively sought input from the public, and it was proven to be a success. 

The author provides valid evidence to support what most people already agree to be an illegal activity.  The fact that gerrymandering is perfectly legal is because the people in charge are the ones making the rules. The citizens need to be actively involved in local Government to makes these changes happen.