On this edition of Your Call, we examine partisan voting districts. In 2012, Republicans held the House even though they got 1.4 million fewer votes than Democrats. Republicans also won majorities in states across the country even though more voters backed Democrats. Why? Gerrymandering.
Courts have ruled that gerrymandered districts in Pennsylvania and North Carolina are unconstitutional. What does this mean for the 2018 elections? Voter groups are pushing for districts to be drawn by citizens, not politicians. California uses that model. Has it worked? How can citizens reshape democracy?
Guests:
Michael Li, senior counsel for the Democracy Program at New York University’s Brennan Center
Connie Galambos-Malloy, a non-party-affiliated member of California’s Citizen’s Redistricting Commission since 2010
Web Resources:
Rolling Stone:How the GOP Rigs Elections
NPR:Where Redistricting Fights Stand Across The Country
US News & World Report:Pennsylvania Gerrymandering Fight Just the Start of a Wider War
FiveThirtyEight:The Atlas Of Redistricting (Interactive)
