The Fight for Fair Maps

After each census every 10 years, a fight for redistricting ensues.  The process of redrawing congressional maps is supposed to ensure a representative democracy, yet partisan gerrymandering has meant that many states do not have fair representation. And the gerrymandering happens from both political parties. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project which assigns grades based on a set of fairness metrics gave F’s to several states this redistricting cycle: Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin.  Meanwhile, the Supreme Court announced in June it would hear a case on North Carolina maps, potentially giving state legislators independent power over election rules—including redistricting—rendering them not subject to state constitutions or review by state courts.

We speak with Allison Riggs, co-executive director and chief counsel for voting rights for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, about what fair maps look like, the work that goes into advocating for them, and what the future is for a fair redistricting process.

After each census every 10 years, a fight for redistricting ensues.  The process of redrawing congressional maps is supposed to ensure a representative democracy, yet partisan gerrymandering has meant that many states do not have fair representation. And the gerrymandering happens from both political parties. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project which assigns grades based on a set of fairness metrics gave F’s to several states this redistricting cycle: Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin.  Meanwhile, the Supreme Court announced in June it would hear a case on North Carolina maps, potentially giving state legislators independent power over election rules—including redistricting—rendering them not subject to state constitutions or review by state courts.

We speak with Allison Riggs, co-executive director and chief counsel for voting rights for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, about what fair maps look like, the work that goes into advocating for them, and what the future is for a fair redistricting process.