Discussion: New Progressive Redistricting Coalition Forms With Eyes On Just Nine States

Support them as far as you can:

The 2018 Blue Wave was incredibleā€”but the Associated Press determined that Democrats would have won 16 additional seats in the House of Representatives if the GOP hadnā€™t [already] gerrymandered districts to give themselves a huge structural advantage.

Thatā€™s why Swing Left, Run for Something, and Arena are teaming up on the Grassroots Redistricting Project, to help Democrats flip key state legislatures across the country in 2020 and redraw fair district maps.

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Honestly, Democrats should give two options:

  1. Some form of independent redistricting commission.
  2. A Dem gerrymander so skewed it will give you a nose bleed.

The GOP is already overrepresented due to the rural bias of the Senate. At the very least, the house should represent America.

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I want to hear more talks about the Wyoming Rule.

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THe only wAy for LibTards to win is CheaTing. RepubliCans, and America, loseS when demonraTs draw maps!

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Butā€¦butā€¦then Democrats would be no better than the GOTPers!!!

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This is good news. We are organized and in it to win it. The GOP is still flailing trying to hold on to their gerrymanders. We can do this.

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A constitutional amendment might be required to assure that non-partisan, or bi-partisan commissions draw congressional and state legislative districts in every state. Obviously, that would take a lot of effort, and a long time, but itā€™s the only way to assure that districts are not gerrymandered. (The amendment should forbid partisan gerrymandering too, just to be safe.)

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Below is the Grim Reaper of redistricting, Turd Blossom, sitting across from me on flight last week.

I was ā€˜acquaintedā€™ with him some time ago, but he did not recognize me, nor did I wish to engage with him.

We can attribute so much of what is wrong with our system and the gerrymandering to him.

Iā€™m going to help undo his evil. You can, too. https://grassrootsredistrictingproject.org

/

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It took a drubbing in 2010,for ā€œactivistsā€ on our side to wake up to this. GOPs got hammered in 2006 and 2008 and they knew what was at stake in 2010. Our side stayed at home in droves in 2010 and weā€™re still getting screwed over it 9 years later.

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I know, I know. Iā€™m already clutching my pearls and writing NYT article denouncing the idea as we speak.

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You were THAT close, and yet you did nothing???

A pillow over the nose, something dropped in a drinkā€¦

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I may regret not acting on my first impulse (and obviously yours!) for ever.

I will now grovel in shame.

:wink:

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Iā€™ll be sure and send them some $$$ when I get home tonight, in honor of Sleeping Beauty there.

Article I, Section 4 seems to give Congress this power already:
ā€œThe Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.ā€

IANAL, but my reading of that text seems to indicate that Congress could not choose to seat those members who were elected from districts not chosen by a nonpartisan committee.

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The time, place and manner of elections does not relate to how districts are drawn. What relates to that, I think, are Supreme Court decisions on how legislative districts are to be drawn. I would argue that, because congressional districts, at least, are based on census data, and the census says to include all inhabitants (not just voters, but immigrants, children, senile individuals, etc.), itā€™s not constitutional to limit the people on whom districts are drawn.

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And delete senators from the count in the electoral college.