Our representatives are selecting their voters, as opposed to the voters selecting the representatives. This is a situation that I think the American people should not accept.
–Barack Obama, 2/8/06
The disgusting act of gerrymandering is when partisan interests take control of the redistricting process, which is when congressional and legislative districts are redrawn and is usually conducted by state legislatures after the census, and use it to benefit incumbents and specific parties. This is one of the more corrupt practices in state government – if you can believe that! – and is one of the more destructive forces on our republic today.
But there is good news. There is a growing movement to end gerrymandering. In 2008, Californians passed Prop 11, which moved the responsibility of redistricting from the legislature (who, like many other state legislatures, drew their own districts to their own advantage) to a nonpartisan committee. Now, a group in Florida is trying to put an end to gerrymandering through yet another ballot initiative, and they need your help today more than ever, no matter where you live in the country.