Keep Saying It: “Down with Gerrymandering!”

submitted by Gail Riecken CCO StateHouse Editor

Keep Saying It: “Down with Gerrymandering!”
Maybe the Supreme Court will hear.

Gerrymandering is once more in the headlines. Given there are only a few weeks left of this Supreme Court term, we will soon know if the Justices will issue an opinion on gerrymandering.  It may only result in a legal principle(s) to be followed in drawing districts with no ruling on the two cases before the Court. But, I’ll take it.

Those cases, one from Wisconsin and one from Maryland, present a real issue for the Justices.  Ruling these two cases unconstitutional might lead to multiple cases over the years being challenged in court.

That doesn’t mean our State shouldn’t take action.

In previous statements, I have criticized our State Governor for not taking a lead on this issue. That comment stands. The legislature, as well, should have taken the lead. The people of Indiana deserve a state government that acts.

As State Senator Tim Lanane wrote earlier this year:
“Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, Indiana can strengthen its own laws to take bias out of the system and draw more representative maps. If the Supreme Court rules that partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional, we will have to implement redistricting reform anyway. If the Supreme Court rules that it is not unconstitutional, Hoosiers still expect legislators to act to ensure fairness in our elections.”

We will wait to learn whether or not this contrived and manipulated map-drawing system will continue. What we deserve is a Supreme Court setting a principle(s) whereby each legislature in each state will have to ensure those elected are elected by the people and not a computer program.