Title humor aside, this nation desperately needs help to restore the value of government of by and for the people. This article clearly shows just how broken the system has become, and why change is so necessary. Neither party should have the power to draw a dishonest election map, but Republicans have reached an unprecedented high in subversion of the peoples’ will.
In the original conception of our Constitution, the House of Representatives was to be the branch of government that best reflected the will of the people. House members cannot serve without being elected — vacancies are not filled by appointees — and they must face the voters every two years. Notably, the House holds pride of place as the first branch of government to be described in the Constitution. The framers move directly from “We the People” to the House, underlining the notion that, for our Constitution (and our government) to function, representatives must be accountable to the people.
Unfortunately, as we near the 2014 midterm elections, the reality of House races today clashes with that goal.
Let’s start with the connection between votes and seats. In 2012, we faced a major choice between the major parties and a mandate on President Obama’s first term. In the presidential race, Obama defeated Mitt Romney in the national popular vote by almost three percentage points, and Republicans suffered the worst performance in Senate elections by any major party in a half-century.
In House races, Democratic nominees overcame incumbent advantages for Republicans and won the national popular vote by more than 1.1 million votes. By those numbers, Americans painted the Capitol royal blue. Shockingly, though, Republicans won 54 percent of the House seats, establishing for themselves a 33-seat majority. And looking ahead, analysts estimate that Democrats may need as much as 55 percent of the popular vote in November to secure a majority.
Such a disconnect between voters and those who are installed as their congressional leaders goes far beyond any distortion we’ve seen in the Electoral College in presidential elections. It’s absolutely unacceptable in House elections, and it deserves far more debate than it has received… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Washington Post>
Photo Credit: Hands Off Redistricting
Now the bottom map in the above graphic is hypothetical, but the top map how Republicans are actually stolen 72% of the Representatives in a state where the majority of the voters voted for Democrats. Part of the problem is that the scheme favors incumbents from both parties. The five Democratic candidates in PA have so many Democrats packed into their districts that they don’t have to work to keep their jobs, making them less likely to fight to change the system. As a rule, progressives and even most corporate Democrats favor reform. A few Corporate Democrats and Blue Dogs do not. Republicans favor reform, but only in those states where Democrats control redistricting. They consider any attempt to return their states to representing the people a Kenyan, Socialist conspiracy. That’s why reform must be national
There are no easy answers here, but the next time America does major redistricting will be after the 2020 Elections. How can we be ready?
20 Responses to “Help! They Mandered My Gerry!!”
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Very well explained, Gene (Care2). You left out the monkey wrench thrown in by PL 62-5 of 1911 and the Reapportionment Act of 1929 which capped the number of seats at 435, but that mainly favors the very smallest (population) states. Those were statutes, not Constitutional Amendments, so in theory they are more easliily changeable than the Constitution – in practice maybe not so much.
House dot gov has a page, or rather a set of pages, called "The House Explained" at http://www.house.gov/content/learn/ which I didn't go through completely because no time, but it does answer many questions.
In many of not most states the Governor has something to say about the drawing of the Districts. But no matter whether or not a gubernatorial election year is a Presidential election year (the terms are staggered nationally), one thing we can do is to pay attention to gubernatorial elections in 202 and the years prior and try to help states elect Democratic governors. The membership of the House affects everyone of us, so we need to be less parochial and more foresighted. Of course we will not succeed in every state. But we can have some effect.
Gene did do sa great job.
And who will have majority in 2020?
Ferguson MO. is a good case for voter turnout. I heard only 5% of blacks voted in the last election there, yet 67% are black. VOTE PEOPLE!!!
Whoever does gets to do the redistrivting in the several states. That's the poijnt.
Steve, I agree in principal, but theree are other issues at work here. Most states hold county and city elections in off years In the same election where only 5% of blacks voted, only 14% of whites voted. That said, black community leaders need to do a much better job at turring out the vote in off years. The Republican Party makes sure that Ammosexuals and the KKK know to vote.
It will never be fixed no matter who holds the card because nobody wants to lose control.
Cal me a cynic.
Dang! Cynic Mashed! 😈
Getting out the vote is the Hardest part & Most Necessary! If ALL Democrats registered AND voted, there would be NO RepubliCONs in office now or in the future, no matter the rigging!
I agree, but see my reply tgo Steve. That said, AMEN!
The key is to get out the vote, of course– but ESPECIALLY to focus on electing good people to your state legislature. We have 6 more years until the next national census, and 2 more after that until districts are reapportioned. The single most important thing we can do is make sure that the state legislatures are invested in ensuring that districts are representative of th citizens of the state.
Welcome, Dori! 🙂
Very well said!
Are you saying that Rethuglicans CHEAT?!?
Well, my flabber is gasted!
Shocking, just shocking!
Then I won't ask what your UP is!! 😉
The only way that we can be ready is if we work really hard to educate our friends and neighbors to the reality of the political system and get them to vote. Until we can wean people from REality shows and Faux news, this seems hopeless.
It is frustrating!
My first reaction to this idea was to see perhaps greater voter turnouts even in midterms because now people can see where their vote goes. But the biggest thing to me is taking the 'redistricting' or rather the 'districting' out of the hands of partisans, Republicanus/Teabagger or Democrat. It must be independent! I can also see that this plan would also open up the system to other parties and greater true representation of the people.
With greater true democracy, this might actually allow the US to be exceptional, and not just in its own eyes.
As a Canuck, we also have issues around the popular vote . . . Harper only had 39.6% of the vote yet he and his harlots have a majority government. To rephrase I believe Shakespeare in his play 'Hamlet', somethings stinks in the state of Canada!
In your parliamentary system did he not have to have help frpm other parties? (My ignoarance is showing here).
LOL SoINeedAName My thoughts exactly. Cheating is what they seem to think will save them from everyone and the whites will get the "Rule our Country back! But the lies and cheating will come out to bite them. Even if the answer is only for people to get and vote them out.
You know, I realize Iowa gave us Steve King (take him back! Please!) and is trying to force feed us Joni Ernst (gag!) – but they actually did it pretty much without gerrymandering. Quote from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/map_of_the_week/2013/08/gerrymandering_jigsaw_puzzle_game_put_the_congressional_districts_back_together.html
"Districts in Iowa tend to be competitive due to strong laws against gerrymandering. By law, the nonpartisan state agency responsible for redistricting must draw districts that are square, rectangular, or hexagonal and match city and county boundaries as much as possible. The agency cannot consider voter registration records and previous election results in the process. In 2012, the state's four congressional seats were split evenly between the two parties, with no candidates winning more than 60 percent of the vote."
Of course the key words here are:
strong laws
independent state agency
districts that are (recognizable shapes)
match city and county boundaries
cannot consider voter registration or previous election records
We need to get all of thise criteria made national criteria.
Excellent key. Now… how to make it happen…