Washington, D.C. — A new issue brief from the Center for American Progress shows how partisan gerrymandering has allowed officials in a handful of states to limit voting rights, making it harder for voters who oppose them to cast a ballot.
The issue brief examines the only four states where, after the 2018 elections, the party that won a majority of state legislative seats received only a minority of the total statewide vote: North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Because of gerrymandering, these four states dramatically failed a basic test of democracy—votes did not translate into political power.
“If majorities of voters cannot elect majorities of legislators, that is a failure of democracy,” said Alex Tausanovitch, director of Campaign Finance and Electoral Reform and co-author of the report. “If those ill-gotten majorities then use their power to disenfranchise voters, that is a democratic downward spiral.”
The issue brief recommends requiring independent commissions to draw voter-determined districts based on statewide voter preferences. This policy would end partisan gerrymandering and increase representation for communities that have too often been shut out of the political system.
Read the full issue brief here: “How Partisan Gerrymandering Limits Voting Rights” by Alex Tausanovitch and Danielle Root
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].