Technology
Electoral Integrity Risks from Partisan Redistricting
Quick fact
In the 2012 U.S. House elections, Democrats won roughly 1.4 million more votes nationally than Republicans, yet Republicans secured a 33-seat majority in the House—largely due to partisan redistricting that had occurred after the 2010 census.
Why this is interesting
Imagine if a game let the players draw the rules—they'd always win. In many U.S. states, politicians get to draw the voting districts, and that's exactly what happens.
Read the full explanation
Understanding Electoral Integrity Risks from Partisan Redistricting
Electoral redistricting is the process of redrawing the boundaries of voting districts after a census, to ensure each district has roughly equal population (the principle of 'one person, one vote'). But this process is often controlled by the party that holds the state legislature. Partisan redistricting—commonly called gerrymandering—involves manipulating those boundaries to give one party an unfair advantage. The two main tools are 'packing,' where opposition voters are concentrated into as few districts as possible, and 'cracking,' where opposition voters are spread across many districts to dilute their influence. The result is a map that looks bizarre, with contorted shapes, but serves to lock in a political advantage.
A deeper explanation
The integrity of elections is undermined because elections should reflect the will of the people, but gerrymandering arranges the people to reflect the will of the map-drawers. When districts are drawn to favor a party, seats become 'safe' for incumbents or the favored party, and general elections become uncompetitive. This reduces the incentive for politicians to be responsive to a broad range of constituents, because their re-election is almost guaranteed. Moreover, voters who are packed or cracked may feel their votes don't matter, reducing turnout and trust. While courts have struck down extreme racial gerrymandering, partisan gerrymandering has been notoriously difficult to regulate because it's hard to define a fair threshold. However, some states have turned to independent redistricting commissions to take the power away from legislatures. The integrity of elections depends on the principle that voters choose their representatives, not the other way around.