Jack Prominski Partisan gerrymandering threatens to undermine our democracy. It allows those in power to redraw district lines to their electoral advantage, making elections less competitive and less reflective of the will of the public. Nearly everyone agrees that gerrymandering is an issue — but they stumble when asked to specify a more just policy for exactly how these lines should be drawn. How do you define an objective measure of political fairness?
Additionally, the laws and guidelines around drawing districts are vague and often contradictory, leaving much room for interpretation and leading to heated debate. This level of dissent has risen to the US Supreme Court, where several cases are currently being argued.
The maps and charts in this visualization illustrate just a few of the virtually unlimited ways districts in Virginia can be drawn. Some aim to further partisan causes, others aim to maximize things like minority representation or the number of competitive districts. They highlight just how much variability there is in the eventual representation these maps bring about and the extreme influence that map-drawers wield.
District: Odds held by Democrats: Odds held by Republicans: