Democrats Unveil a Plan to Fight Gerrymandering

[SecularMotion]

Source: NY Times

The Democratic Governors Association is creating a fund dedicated to winning races in states where governors have some control over congressional redistricting, the party’s first step in a long-range campaign to make control of the House more competitive.

Billed as “Unrig the Map,” the effort will target 18 of the 35 states in which governors play a role in redistricting, and where new congressional maps could allow Democrats to win House seats that are now drawn in a way to favor Republicans. The fund will be used for governors’ races over the next five years, leading up to the 2020 census.

Democratic officials said that they hoped to raise “tens of millions” for the effort and that they believed they could gain as many as 44 House seats if lines were more favorably redrawn in the 18 battleground states. Many of those states still have Republican-controlled legislatures, but with Democratic governors in place they could at least veto the next round of congressional maps and send the disputes to the courts.

The fund-raising effort is to be overseen by Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia and Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily’s List, a group that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/04/us/politics/democrats-unveil-a-plan-to-fight-gerrymandering.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

[Gothmog]

1. The Democrats need to fight Gerrymandering hard in 2020

This is a presidential year and the Democrats need to take sufficient number of seats in the state legislatures to control or moderate the process

[cosmicone]

5. 2020 is the critical year when new census data is applied. n/t

[SomeGuyInEagan]

9. Yup. In 2010 we screwed us.

Non-presidental election year, Democrat two years into first term (typically a big turnout by opposition party in off-years, but this one seemed to be sat out by more than usual after the huge turnout for 2008) ... but every election that ends in a zero determines who controls the state legislatures, who - in many states - control who draws the maps.

2010 was ugly for us. We needed more Ds voting.

[SharonAnn]

15. The census is in 2020, the redistricting will take place after that, usually 2 years later.

[cosmicone]

18. So, whoever is elected in 2020 will be in control - duh n/t

[jeff47]

10. No, the Democrats needed to fight Gerrymandering hard in 1990.

The fact that we're finally getting around to it is an improvement, but the party has completely dropped the ball on this for a very, very long time.

[SharonAnn]

14. Thank goodness some people finally woke up!

This has been building as a problem for the 14 years I've been following it, andprobably for much longer than that.

It was amazing to me that the party did not have a cohesive plan for this and for building local/state candidates. We're so weak in so many states and local candidates have no way to adequately fund raise since the party hasn't been much help. The result is that Republicans get elected and move up through the ranks.

[stevenleser]

2. Good start. We need to fight this hard in 2016, 2018 and 2020

There has to be a maximum push to capture as many seats as possible in every state legislature across the country.

[turbinetree]

3. And lets also not forget...........................

the U.S. Supreme court and the federal courts, appeals court. Because of which party takes the office they will go into theses republican states to put a right wing conservative on the bench(s).
It all starts at the bottom at the state level and the make-up of the legislatures


Honk----------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

[seveneyes]

4. Will this end the practice or just make it favor a different party?

There is obviously a reason both parties do it.

[RichVRichV]

11. Both parties do, but not equally.

Democrats tend to use the old style of gerrymandering where the maps are drawn to favor incumbents regardless of party affiliation. That's how both parties used to gerrymander. It was a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back" amongst politicians.

Now Republicans have taken it to a whole new level by trying to restrict Democrats entirely.

We need independently drawn redistricting maps to truly limit gerrymandering.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

6. Good!

Need a lot of disinfectant with those pukes around.

[JayhawkSD]

7. Democrats only dislike gerrymandering when it protects Republicans

When it protects Democratic legislators they love it, and in those states they have no plan to oppose it.

You should see the shape of Susan Davis' district, CA-53, which has gone Democratic reliably since Roosevelt.

Not that I'm against ending gerrymandering in Republican states. I'm all for it. Nor do I think we should rock the boat in Democratic states. But let's be honest, here.

[jeff47]

12. Actually CA has an independent commission drawing districts

And it is far more competitive than it used to be. The legislature had the state neatly carved into "safe" Republican and "safe" Democratic districts. Because CA Democrats were terrified of facing voters in competitive districts, so they gave away lots of seats to Republicans.

Turns out people actually like Democrats. Who knew?

[JayhawkSD]

31. It does now.

It has not always, and it has not redrawn all of the districts. I say again, look at the shape of CA-53.

[truebluegreen]

21. So you honestly think that fair districting

should only be applied when it hurts Republicans?

[JayhawkSD]

32. I didn't say what SHOULD be done.

I only said what is being done.

[Judi Lynn]

29. You want to tell DU Democrats are dishonest here? Really? Why? n/t

[JayhawkSD]

33. When it comes to keeping their party in power...

all politicians, of any party, are dishonest.

[Jim Lane]

34. There's definitely a difference in degree

To my eye, CA-53 doesn't look all that bad.

Compare it with one of the Republicans' masterpieces, PA-7. I can't make the link embed, I think because the colon then P (in Pennsylvania) does the smiley, so here it is as a standalone and you'll have to delete the superfluous X that I inserted to break up the smiley:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania%27s_congressional_districts#/media/File:XPennsylvania_US_Congressional_District_7_(since_2013).tif

[JayhawkSD]

35. Well, you have a point.

Duncan Hunter's district is utterly bizarre.

[Jim Lane]

36. Hunter's district doesn't look all that bad

Hunter represents CA-50, which has a few contortions but is nothing like PA-7 or some of the other mutants that crawled out of the Republican's redistricting lab in Pennsylvania.

[Turbineguy]

8. 2020. That will give the repubs time

to figure out a substitute.

[efilon]

13. Iowa

has an independent commission for drawing up districts. I do wish all states had the same to protect against gerrymandering.

[fasttense]

16. Well it's about time.

You would have thought they would have got on it when more people voted for Democrats in this last congressional election yet more RepubliCON representatives were voted in. They should also look into the rigged voting machines and the newer version of poll taxes.

[slumcamper]

17. SIGH. Better late than never, I guess.

Unfortunately it may not mean a tinker's damn at this late stage if the GOP steals the presidency in 2016, consolidates its power over all three branches, shores up control of the SCOTUS for a generation, and exerts its will to roll back every piece of progressive legislation passed since 1900.

Seriously, we are on the ropes, folks. One wonders WHY it took so long for Democratic leaders to address this in a coordinated and systematic fashion. Our candidates and public policies are certainly better for the masses who lead lives of quiet desperatrion, but if Democrats fail to get out the vote then we're in deep shit.

I'm not very optimistic these days. Alarm bells should be sounding off from all Democratic leaders and from all corners of the country. Alan Grayson is right: Democrats need to GO BOLD, draw the stark contrast, and give people a clear-cut choice, i.e., something to VOTE FOR.

[question everything]

19. About time. Except that the Democrats are as guilty as the Republicans

as carving these bizarre districts. They would fight to keep them had we had the majority.

Give it to Arnold, he tried to pass a ballot measure to change the way districts were drawn, it failed.

Personally, I think that unless a district is near an ocean, a lake or a mountain range, each should have straight boundary lines: a triangle, a quadrangle, a square..

Will never happen.

[Agnosticsherbet]

23. California has the California redistricing commission with California Proposition 20 (2010)

which ended the practice of safe Republican and safe Democratic seats.

Combined with changing the way we do primaries so that the top two candidates go to the general, it actually led to Democrats gaining complete Control of the State without Gerrymandering.

We made the seats competitive and the vast majority of Californian's decided they liked Democrats.

It successfully survived a supreme court challenge Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission – 6/29/2015 which would have put at end to along with Arizona's independent commission.

By the way, the commission is made of 5 democrats, 5 republicans, and 4 members who belong to neither of those parties.

As a side note, when this was proposed, Republicans liked it because they thought it would give them permanent control of the state. They were wrong.

[Gman]

20. Should have done this in 2009

Then we wouldn't be have to unrig much if anything. Redistricting years are the most important in any 10 year period.

[mountain grammy]

22. Yes, better late than never..

The GOP has been getting away with their bullshit for too long and look where we are: environmental protections rolled back, a healthcare plan that enriches a few while screwing the rest, injustice for all, and the list goes on.

[bucolic_frolic]

25. Telepathy!

I only read the article and posted, you beat me to the punch on that
thought. Sorry for trampling on your coattails.

[mountain grammy]

27. I think we're all on the same wavelength on this one.

[bucolic_frolic]

24. Better Late Then Never

The DNC and DLC have been behind the curve on this issue

They didn't anticipate well

[Charles de Gaudless]

26. This is the under-reported 800-pound gorilla

The Republicrazies have turned House elections into a Groundhog Day of the 2000 presidential sham.

[rhett o rick]

28. WTF? Why the hell did it take soo fracking long? Elections were stolen in 2000 and 2004 and

the Democratic Leadership didn't appear to care.

[Judi Lynn]

30. Good news, SecularMotion. Thanks. n/t