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General News    H4'ed 12/27/23

Why Gerrymandering is Dangerous and How it Works.

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Meryl Ann Butler
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From Politico:

MADISON, Wisconsin The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps on Friday and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn as Democrats had urged in a redistricting case they hope will weaken GOP majorities.

The ruling comes less than a year before the 2024 election in a battleground state where four of the six past presidential elections have been decided by fewer than 23,000 votes, and Republicans have built large majorities in the Legislature under maps they drew over a decade ago.

The court ruled 4-3 in favor of Democrats who argued that the legislative maps are unconstitutional because districts drawn aren't contiguous.

"Because the current state legislative districts contain separate, detached territory and therefore violate the constitution's contiguity requirements, we enjoin the Wisconsin Elections Commission from using the current legislative maps in future elections," Justice Jill Karofksy wrote for the majority.

Dan Lenz, an attorney for Law Forward, which brought the lawsuit, called the ruling "a victory for a representative democracy in the state of Wisconsin."

"For too long, rightwing interests have rigged the rules without any consequences," he said in a statement. "Gerrymandered maps have distorted the political landscape, stifling the voice of the voters. It challenges the very essence of fair representation and erodes confidence in our political system."

This visual explanation of how gerrymandering works shows how pigs can still win through gerrymandered districting when there are only 40% pigs and 60% frogs :

This voting area includes 50 voters: 40% Pigs and 60% Frogs
This voting area includes 50 voters: 40% Pigs and 60% Frogs
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler)
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Same 50 voters with Districts divided into 2 Pig districts and 3 Frog districts, Frogs win
Same 50 voters with Districts divided into 2 Pig districts and 3 Frog districts, Frogs win
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler)
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Same 50 voters with Districts divided into 0 Pig districts and 5 Frog districts, Frogs win
Same 50 voters with Districts divided into 0 Pig districts and 5 Frog districts, Frogs win
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler)
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Same 50 voters with Districts gerrymandered into 3 Pig districts and 2 Frog districts, Pigs win
Same 50 voters with Districts gerrymandered into 3 Pig districts and 2 Frog districts, Pigs win
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler)
  Details   DMCA

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Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, (more...)
 

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