Wisconsin’s Gerrymandering Problem Needs Fixing [EDITORIAL]

Wisconsin is one of the only states that is heavily affected by the act of gerrymandering. What is gerrymandering? To keep it simple, it’s a practice that gives a certain political party more power over the district boundaries. Essentially, the party will always have an advantage over the other which has raised the question, is this constitutional? Should the Supreme Court invalidate Wisconsin’s gerrymandering? The board believes that, yes, it is unconstitutional and just overall, wrong.

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The Republican Party gains the most power through the act of gerrymandering which causes them to hold onto the power throughout elections. They benefit from an advantage because of how the district lines are drawn when it comes to voting communities. But what people do not realize, is that gerrymandering is silencing voters and their representation in elections are in the shadows.

An example of gerrymandering in Wisconsin would be the election of 2018 where even though the Democratic candidates won the most votes overall, the Republicans still maintained power due to the county boundaries. Records have shown that Wisconsin usually votes more Democratic rather than Republican, but yet Republicans have controlled the Assembly for six years.

Wouldn’t you want your voice to be heard? Wouldn’t you actually want your vote to mean something? The average person would say yes, it’s only fair. Even though both parties have partaken in the concept of gerrymandering, recently it’s been benefiting the Republicans more. Republicans have dismissed the concept of gerrymandering as fake, and a set up and that it is only being talked about to help the Democrats. But… that is the thing, it doesn’t help the Democrats, it benefits the Republicans only because it lets them win seats based on “votes” and since they came up with the entire concept. But yeah, they write it off as not real and not effective, it just isn’t real at all.

However, officials in Wisconsin will be able to draw newer versions of the maps in 2021. Republicans usually were in control of the state government in Wisconsin and were able to set up the maps to their benefit. However, since the governor is now a Democrat, Democrats will now be able to get a say in the new map lines.

So how does the population actually feel about this concept? Do they believe gerrymandering is unconstitutional and that the Supreme Court needs to do something about it? Wisconsin voters aren’t letting them get off so easily, as they have brought their concerns to court in 2016 that challenged gerrymandering under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The court ruled that the plan was unconstitutional and acknowledged how it usually means a Republican majority in the Assembly under any electoral scenario.

To be sure, supporters of gerrymandering may say that with getting rid of the concept it would make elections become more expensive as a whole. Usually, candidates for a certain political party would not campaign as much in the districts that are heavily favored towards their party. However, that in itself can be contradicting as wouldn’t the candidates want to speak to their supporters even though their district is heavily in favor?

So what can you do about it? The simple answer would be to use your voice, talk to your local officials about the topic, educate yourself and learn. Gerrymandering has sparked protests in the past, so why stop now. Voters’ voices are being overlooked with the concept of gerrymandering, and it as a whole is unconstitutional and just a bad game.

This editorial was based on a discussion by a JAMS 504 editorial board.