The blemish of gerrymandering
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A Senate plan to sabotage political maps should be rejected, but voters deserve an independent commission.
Legislators heading off to Richmond this winter promised their constituents to make progress on transportation, education, mental health and other issues. But once legislators reach the state Capitol, it’s easy to forget their constituents and those promises. Once there, it’s all about them.
Legislative egomania traditionally peaks every decade in the year after the census. That’s the year designated by the state constitution for redrawing legislative and congressional districts. It’s also the year legislators employ sophisticated computer programs to gerrymander political maps that lock in safe seats for a majority of incumbents while exterminating members of the minority party. It’s an abomination to democracy that renders voters superfluous on Election Day, and one that members of both parties are guilty of shielding from reform.
January 25, 2013 - 6:23 AM
I’m entertained that the Times chose to illustrate with a caricature of the original gerrymander, which was, of course, a portmanteau of Elbridge Gerry’s last name and a salamander.
Readers from points south of Roanoke may be aware that the current 20th SD, as drawn by Democrats, actually resembles another animal, a sea horse lying on its back.