• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Gerrymandering is the Civil Rights Issue of Our Day

Robert Kowles by Robert Kowles
08/14/18
in Opinion
Demonstrators protest outside the Supreme Court in 2017 as the court hears arguments about partisan gerrymandering.

Demonstrators protest outside the Supreme Court in 2017 as the court hears arguments about partisan gerrymandering. Photo: Jim Watson, AFP

118
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Last December, a political scientist named John Kennedy stunned the courtroom in Harrisburg when he revealed a map of Pennsylvania’s seventh congressional district. After explaining that two large voter regions, which geographically had no business being connected, were held together by nothing more than a steakhouse, he successfully swayed the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to act on Constitutional grounds. The court ordered the General Assembly to submit a new map that will go into effect for the upcoming midterm vote to protect “free and equal elections.”

Pennsylvania’s seventh district includes portions of five counties and became known as “Goofy kicking Donald Duck.” Image: nationalatlas.gov

The decision was heartening for those who cherish the guarantees laid out in the Constitution, but it also opened the eyes of the public to an unethical practice known as “packing.” This strategy, utilized by politicians across the nation, involves saturating specific districts with voters who historically support the opposition party.

Politicians will gladly concede a few of these districts to landslide defeats to limit the impact of these voters. They will then sprinkle the remaining “opposition voters” across many districts they anticipate they can win by smaller margins in spite of these votes. This allows the politicians to maximize the influence of their party state-wide and nationally but, in the process, they marginalize what should be a significant voting force.

The civil rights issue of our day is the same as the civil rights issue of the early to mid-20th century: the biggest obstacle to equity and access for all is still voting. The ideal that every person in this nation has an equal say in the systems and structures that define “fairness” is not only an unrealized goal; it is actively being suppressed. If you believe that every citizen’s vote should hold equal value, then you should be outraged like I am.

Pennsylvania is not the only state where partisan map drawing, known as gerrymandering, has been identified. In the case of Gill v. Whitford (2017-2018), the Supreme Court listened to an argument made by three federal judges that the Wisconsin state assembly plan, adopted by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2011, was unconstitutional in that it violated both the Equal Protection Clause and the plaintiff’s First Amendment freedom of association. There was clear evidence of both “bad intent” and “bad effect” with regards to the layout of the district voting map. Although the case was dismissed for lack of standing, it is being reviewed by the lower courts.

Gerrymandering is not a tactic used solely by Republicans. There are cases, such as in the state of Maryland, where Republicans contend, and rightly so, that Democrats have carefully constructed voting districts to minimize the voice of Republicans.

It’s hard to tell either side to stop this game as long as the other one is playing it. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, to his credit, has asked Democrats across the nation to resist the urge to gerrymander back. It’s a hard pill for Democrats to swallow, however, when you consider that the overwhelming majority of the cases being reviewed by the courts regard marginalized groups, typically Democratic voters, being methodically silenced.

This harsh reality is no more evident than in the case of North Carolina. Federal judges recently ruled that twenty-eight of the state’s legislative districts were “unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.” In other words, African Americans in North Carolina, typically a threat to Republican rule, have been systematically and purposefully lumped together in “giveaway” districts to limit their influence while disregarding the urgency of issues that plague their communities.

This nation will never be a true democracy unless the voices of all individuals hold equal weight. Powerful politicians, with the help of major corporations and wealthy donors, have failed the most vulnerable members of our society by ensuring that there are systems in place that prioritize the interests of those who can offer the most financial support over the interests of those with the greatest needs.

In spite of marginal progress made in the courts and current efforts being made by leaders such as former President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, The Brennan Center for Justice predicts that Democrats will need to win the national popular vote by 11 points in order to gain control of the House of Representatives in the upcoming midterm elections.

Imagine a party receiving 55 percent of the national vote, but having to be subservient to the party that gained 45 percent of the nation’s support! This is the current political reality because of carefully-crafted maps that have been produced by politicians to promote the long-term power of select individuals over the needs of the nation.

What can be done?

You can begin by putting pressure on local politicians to support the creation of voting district maps that properly represent the political composition of your state. Additionally, you can make a small contribution to organizations, such as The Brennan Center for Justice, The National Democratic Redistricting Committee or Every Voice, that are involved in political messaging and fight for judicial action that advances the needs of underrepresented communities. Finally, you can go door-to-door and provide individuals with this information and make certain that those most negatively affected by the current system get out and vote for their interests.

Your involvement is a step in the right direction. People, not money and power, are what politicians should work for. Wealthy corporations and politicians who prioritize power over public service can only achieve their ends when the voices of the marginalized working class, which includes the most vulnerable among us, are silenced.

Righteous outrage, not despair. Justified action, not acceptance. These should be the American norms, like they were during the civil rights movements of the 20th century.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
Share118Tweet
Robert Kowles

Robert Kowles

NYC public school teacher serving the community of West Harlem

Related Posts

Why Not Equality for America’s Puerto Rican Men and Women?
Opinion

Why Not Equality for America’s Puerto Rican Men and Women?

by Matt Helder and José A. Cabrera
February 19, 2021
President Donald Trump and US Attorney General William Barr step off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland last September 1, 2020.
National

US Attorney General Says No Evidence of Decisive Election Fraud

by Staff Writer
December 2, 2020
Armed right-wing protesters at a coronavirus lockdown protest on April 30, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan
Opinion

White Men With Guns in Trump’s America

by Stephen J. Lyons
September 8, 2020
An election worker sorts vote-by-mail ballots for Washington state's presidential primary on March 10 in Renton, a suburb of Seattle.
Opinion

Why Voting by Mail Is Part of the Right to Vote

by Jason Harrow
July 7, 2020
Smoke rises from the site of an attack on Tuesday after a massive explosion the night before near the Green Village in Kabul, Afghanistan
Featured

Afghan War Crimes Probe Must Go Ahead, ICC Judges Say

by Staff Writer
March 5, 2020
NATO to Review Iraq Mission After Parliament Votes to Expel US Forces
Featured

NATO to Review Iraq Mission After Parliament Votes to Expel US Forces

by Staff Writer
January 6, 2020
Next Post
Activists hold placards that read "Hong Kong Independence" as they take part in a protest march in Hong Kong on October 1, 2017.

China Will Pay Price for Banning Pro-Independence Hong Kong Party

Polish flags

EU Ramps Up Legal Threat to Poland Over Court Reform

Recommended

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018, while he was inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Reporters Without Borders Sue Saudi Prince Over Khashoggi Murder

March 2, 2021
Hatice Cengiz delivers a speech addressing the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Capitol Hill, May 16, 2019.

Khashoggi Fiancée Demands Punishment for Saudi Prince

March 1, 2021
People lay flowers in central Moscow at the site where late opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was fatally shot, February 27, 2021.

Russians Mark Sixth Anniversary of Kremlin Critic’s Murder

February 27, 2021
What President Biden Should Do About the Uyghur Genocide

What President Biden Should Do About the Uyghur Genocide

March 1, 2021
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Khartoum, last August

Sudan’s Normalization With Israel Is a Win for Everyone

February 26, 2021
Ethiopian refugees who fled the conflict in Tigray gather to receive aid at the Tenedba camp.

Eritrean Troops Killed ‘Hundreds’ in Ethiopia Massacre: Amnesty

February 26, 2021

Opinion

What President Biden Should Do About the Uyghur Genocide

What President Biden Should Do About the Uyghur Genocide

March 1, 2021
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Khartoum, last August

Sudan’s Normalization With Israel Is a Win for Everyone

February 26, 2021
Stolpersteine in Greifswald, Germany.

I Can’t Mark Where My Grandfather Is Buried, but I Want to Mark Where He Lived

February 26, 2021
Republican Senator from Missouri Josh Hawley

Trump’s Acquittal and Republican Senators: Not Setting the Bar Low Enough

February 22, 2021
Why Not Equality for America’s Puerto Rican Men and Women?

Why Not Equality for America’s Puerto Rican Men and Women?

February 19, 2021
Refugee child holding up a sign reading 'we are human like you'

US Asylum Laws Must Catch up With the Reality of Today’s Refugees

February 18, 2021
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post