As political extremism grows across the United States, many experts argue that this type of gerrymandering is more extreme than ever before. Richard Hasen — a leading election law expert — warns of the increasingly critical problem of gerrymandering electoral districts. In other words, as he puts it, “we’re in a race to the bottom.” Gerrymandering inflates polarization through a tactic that draws voting districts razor-thin for partisan advantage. Republicans are throwing it around with shocking frequency and immediacy to entrench their power as the mid-term elections grow near.
In Texas, the Republican Party is pursuing an audacious mid-cycle gambit to redraw the district maps. This amazing civic effort could help them to lock in as many as five additional congressional seats. As such, this maneuver is an early signal of just how far each party is willing to go to protect their own benefits. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has openly discussed efforts to ban postal voting and in-person voting machines, showcasing his disregard for legal norms that inhibit his party’s ambitions.
Mid-Decade Manipulation
Traditionally, congressional maps are redrawn every 10 years after the once-a-decade national census. But just as importantly, Republicans are currently doing the daring thing by changing existing districts in the middle of the decade. Hasen notes, “It’s not usual to have re-districting happen in the middle of a decade,” highlighting the unusual nature of this political strategy.
These nonpartisan changes will only help increase the Republican Party’s winning odds. They simply don’t want to lose their grip on the House of Representatives when elections occur next year. These moves, experts say, violate the spirit of electoral fair play. Yet they expose pernicious truths that threaten the very integrity of American democracy.
Hasen further explains that gerrymandering does great damage to public confidence in our electoral system. “At the very least, it undermines people’s confidence that the rules are fair,” he states. This erosion of trust fosters an environment ripe for accusations. Independents, Democrats, and Republicans alike start to doubt that elections are being rigged or stolen.
Pressure from the Top
Trump’s influence extends beyond Texas. He’s called on other Republican-controlled states to follow his lead on redistricting. His real ambition, though, is to craft a national strategy that regrows Republican power nationwide. Perhaps most notably, Missouri and North Carolina have both been forced to redraw their electoral maps in a manner more palatable to Democrats.
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders are not standing idle. California Governor Gavin Newsom is trying very hard to persuade Californian voters to vote yes on Proposition 50. This bipartisan effort seeks to lead the way in preventing unilateral Republican gerrymandering. Dubbed the Election Rigging Response Act, this proposition aims to neutralize partisan advantages, showcasing Democrats’ tactical responses in a heated political landscape.
“We’re not fighting with one hand tied behind our back” – Gavin Newsom
Political leaders remain deeply entrenched in a fight on the state of electoral maps. Hasen is deeply concerned about how this fight will change American democracy for the long haul. He cautions against normalizing these tactics, which could further deepen the effects of partisan gerrymandering. A historic expansion of democratic processes would truly put our democratic processes “on steroids.”
The Path Forward
In the future, Hasen is hopeful about a concerted effort to make democracy work better over the next five to ten years. Even Phil would be the first to admit that the writing trend seems bleak at the moment. “I think we’re really at a pivot point,” he remarks. And then we’ll take stock as the 2026 and 2028 elections unfold to determine whether American democracy is able to endure this dark hour.
Even with the challenges that gerrymandering has created, there is still a critical opportunity for Congress to act. Hasen advocates for specific legislative initiatives to stop the scourge of partisan redistricting. “Congress could say, ‘You can’t engage in partisan gerrymandering’, and they could define it,” he notes.
Having made this list of needed reforms, now Cohen becomes a bit cynical about the chances of any of them happening. “The problem is that there’s no political will to do it,” he states, emphasizing that meaningful change may require a shift in political power dynamics.
It is in this context that Trump’s comments about immigrants continue to resonate. He has stated regarding Texas’s potential gains: “We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas … and we are entitled to five more seats.” His statements continue to reveal a thirst for Republican authoritarian rule and add to the simmering atmosphere of electoral violence and anger over election legitimacy.
