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Virginia Policy Review
Gerrymandering: The Dilution of America’s Right to Vote By Morgan Smith Executive Summary Throughout the history of the United States, our democracy’s free and fair elections have been plagued with varying types of voter suppression. Prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we saw literacy tests and the grandfather clause that suppressed votes based on racial characteristics.3 Following attempts to curb voter disenfranchisement, gerrymandering has been adopted as a less conspicuous means of voter suppression. Gerrymandering is defined as, “the act of drawing electoral district lines in order to favor one political party, individual, or constituency over another.”4 This paper will evaluate gerrymandering and present practical policy alternatives to prevent it. These alternatives include mandated independent commissions;, commission auditors, and mandated use of technology. I recommend mandated independent commissions as the most equitable, effective, and politically viable option to curb gerrymandering across the United States. Historical Background The term “gerrymander” is derived from the name of the Governor of Massachusetts in 1812, Elbridge Gerry.5 His administration signed into law a map outlining newly designed state senatorial districts. While these districts were supposed to be drawn to be compact and equally sized, members of the Federalist Party were consolidated into a few districts to give a larger amount of representation to DemocraticRepublicans. The map broke both basic tenets of electoral apportionment: compactness and equality of size of constituencies. The term “gerrymander” was coined by the Boston Gazette, who combined Gerry and the shape that the district resembled, a salamander, as shown in Figure 1 below.
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“Voting Rights Act (1965).” Our Documents – Interstate Commerce Act (1887). https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=100 4 “Gerrymandering.” Ballotpedia. https://ballotpedia.org/Gerrymandering 5
“Gerrymandering.” Ballotpedia. https://ballotpedia.org/Gerrymandering
