California is eyeing a ballot initiative this fall to redraw its House map for 2026 — only if Texas Republicans redistrict to gain more seats. New York Democrats may have to wait until 2028.
In Michigan, it was necessary. We are able to make amendments to our state constitution via ballot proposal.
The legislature in Michigan had been Republican controlled for forty years. In 2018, a ballot proposal removing redistricting from the legislature and handing it to an independent bipartisan commission shared the ballot with another proposal legalizing weed. The legalizing weed proposal really brought out the vote, and so we voters enshrined in our state’s constitution that districting couldn’t be done by the legislature.
Following the new districting lines, power shifted to the Democrats (again, for the first time in 40 years). We’d had plenty of Democratic governors and a liberal-leaning state court system, but the legislature was gerrymandered to fuck so we were stuck. Now we have a legislature that represents the state’s population much better. It won’t always be Democrat, it won’t always be Republican, but it also won’t be extremely far right because that would be political suicide in a swing state where gerrymandering is illegal. This leads to compromise, which leads to slow but inevitable progress.
Voters should get to choose their representatives. Representatives shouldn’t get to choose their voters.
Tl;dr: Democrats have kneecapped themselves by passing laws (years ago) that restrict gerrymandering. Republican controlled states don’t do that.
They could always repeal them.
In Michigan, it was necessary. We are able to make amendments to our state constitution via ballot proposal.
The legislature in Michigan had been Republican controlled for forty years. In 2018, a ballot proposal removing redistricting from the legislature and handing it to an independent bipartisan commission shared the ballot with another proposal legalizing weed. The legalizing weed proposal really brought out the vote, and so we voters enshrined in our state’s constitution that districting couldn’t be done by the legislature.
Following the new districting lines, power shifted to the Democrats (again, for the first time in 40 years). We’d had plenty of Democratic governors and a liberal-leaning state court system, but the legislature was gerrymandered to fuck so we were stuck. Now we have a legislature that represents the state’s population much better. It won’t always be Democrat, it won’t always be Republican, but it also won’t be extremely far right because that would be political suicide in a swing state where gerrymandering is illegal. This leads to compromise, which leads to slow but inevitable progress.
Voters should get to choose their representatives. Representatives shouldn’t get to choose their voters.
Or just ignore them, like any Republican would do.
The Dems have effectively cucked USAians into fascism LOL
Just fire the people standing in your way. Trump is giving you the playbook. Use it!