Stop Trumpism by Ending the Gerrymander

I don’t want this to become a political blog again. I have little faith in politics.

But there is a political issue that isn’t being discussed regarding the next two years. It needs to be discussed. It can change the future trajectory of the country.

The issue is redistricting, and gerrymandering.

The word “gerrymandering” refers to Elbridge Gerry (right, from Wikipedia). He signed the Declaration of Independence. He was at the Constitutional Convention. It was years after that, after becoming Massachusetts governor, that he signed the law which made his name, redrawing legislative districts for partisan advantage.  An opposition newspaper published a cartoon showing one district as a strange animal with claws, calling it a “Gerry-mander.”

The point is that gerrymandering is legal. But modern technology has made it scientific. It now takes enormous statewide majorities to overcome a legislative gerrymander.

The primary effect of a gerrymander isn’t to solidify partisan control, but to radicalize partisans. If you can’t be beaten in a general election, you focus entirely on your primary. You focus on winning the fiercest partisans.

Some Republicans, who consider themselves more pro-business than pro-Trump, have suggested they want to change their party’s politics. Here’s now they can do it. Work with Democrats to create more competitive districts. The risk is a possible loss of control over state legislative chambers. The benefit is that incumbents might be challenged in primaries by moderates with support from the other party. This would force extremists on both sides toward the center.

By the middle of this year, redistricting will be underway in every state. State and Congressional lines will be redrawn based on the new census numbers. If business-oriented Republican wants to take their party back from Trumpist extremists, this is their chance to prove their sincerity. In most chambers it won’t take many “defectors” to get better lines. Democrats, too, will be taking a risk. More liberal members will be just as vulnerable to a moderate challenger as far-right Republicans. Both sides must jump into this together.

At the same time, we need a new Voting Rights Act that applies to every state. We need standards for registering people, for keeping them on the rolls, and for managing elections. Here, too, non-Trump Republicans can provide the support needed to make these standards fair. We can end voting purges. We can end long lines. We may not end Voter ID, but maybe we can get governments to pay for the required documents.

Such a law seemed impossible to pass a week ago. Even fairer districts seemed a reach. But much has changed. If Republicans want to take their party back from Trumpublicans, this is their moment.