@ISIDEWITHQuestionsDomestic PolicyStarted 11yrs agoActive 3hrs ago

Should the redrawing of Congressional districts be controlled by an independent, non-partisan commission?

Currently, the redistricting of congressional boundaries is controlled by state legislature every ten years. Gerrymandering is the redrawing of districts with the intent of benefiting a political party. It is most often implemented by state political parties with the intent of marginalizing districts of voters who represent the minority party. To gain extra seats, the incumbent party will redraw voting districts so that voters of the minority party will be grouped into smaller districts with less seats. Critics of gerrymandering say these practices allow incumbent representatives to choose their voters instead of voters choosing them. Proponents say that drawing districts is a privilege of the ruling party and have little effect on the popularity of their policies or candidates.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 1.2m Republicans voters.

78%
Yes
22%
No
70%
Yes
19%
No
4%
Yes, gerrymandering gives an unfair advantage to the party in power during redistricting
2%
No, there is no better alternative
3%
Yes, switch to a multi-member, proportionally selected redistricting system
1%
No, gerrymandering allows officials to more effectively represent the interests of their constituency

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 1.2m Republicans voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 1.2m Republicans voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Republicans voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9BVLJ45 from Georgia  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, but I would prefer to abolish gerrymandering.

 @5F5TD6Gfrom District of Columbia  answered…4yrs4Y

Yes, gerrymandering has become racist

 @9F4WBK4 from Louisiana  answered…2yrs2Y

No, I'd prefer the Shortest Split-line method

 @9FQJK9P from Nevada  answered…2yrs2Y

I support gerrymandering when it's my party in power and oppose it when its the other party in power... And so does everyone else.

 @9C43LHB from Louisiana  answered…2yrs2Y

I'd prefer the Shortest Split-line method.

 @9XR589F from Utah  answered…5mos5MO

No, use transparent mathematical algorithms with clear constitutional rules to draw districts instead

 @9WYQWYX from Kansas  answered…5mos5MO

Software should be used to make even districts without regard to any factor other than the number of people.

 @9DM7684 from Vermont  answered…2yrs2Y

No, these commissions just end up being partisan

Latest News

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…4mos4MO

Gerrymander No More: Democrats Push for a Congress That Represents All

The bipartisan task force would investigate structural reforms like multimember districts and adding more House members in an effort to address growing polarization and distrust of Congress.Over the last two elections, Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has shown that she knows how to win in a largely rural, Republican-leaning district. Now, she’s proposing a bipartisan House task force to consider reforms to the current winner-take-all electoral system.The resolution, which NOTUS obtained exclusively, is cosponsored by fellow Blue Dog co-chair, Rep. Jared Golden, and is set to be announced by Gluesenkamp Perez on Tuesday afternoon.The initiative comes as Democrats have begun to look at Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez with wonder after both lawmakers defeated their GOP opponents in R+6 and R+5 districts, respectively, while Vice President Kamala Harris underperformed with just about every demographic.“We need that competition,” she said. “We need that urgency.”She added that one of her goals is to “open the field” and get more candidates with working-class backgrounds running for Congress, “to have people who have turning wrenches, change diapers, drive trucks at the table.”She said that, if members know they have “lifetime tenure,” they don’t have the urgency to do constituent casework and understand where the system is failing communities.Many of the electoral reforms mentioned as potential topics for the task force to investigate aren’t new. Democratic lawmakers have floated similar proposals for years, drawing little to no attention.Some of the proposals in this resolution for the task force to investigate include holding nonpartisan open primaries, establishing independent commissions for redistricting to prevent gerrymandering, to have congressional districts with multiple members and to increase the number of seats in the House beyond 435 representatives.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…7mos7MO

Arlington Cemetery staffer ‘pushed aside’ by Trump aides

The Army on Thursday defended a staff member at Arlington National Cemetery who found herself in a brief confrontation with two men working for the Trump campaign, saying in a statement that she “acted with professionalism” during the encounter and that her reputation has been “unfairly attacked” by the former president’s representatives.The woman, whom Army officials have requested remain unidentified because of concerns for her safety, sought to restrict photography by the Trump campaign in accordance with federal regulations barring partisan activity at the cemetery, the final resting place of more than 400,000 U.S. troops, veterans and family members. Former president Donald Trump was there to mark the third anniversary of a suicide bombing during the evacuation of Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. troops, and the families of two of those service members had invited him to accompany them to their loved one’s graves.But cemetery staff had laid out guidelines in advance of the visit that made clear there was to be no official photography during a graveside visit in Section 60, a 14-acre plot where many veterans of recent wars are buried. After the employee sought to reinforce those guidelines, she was “abruptly pushed aside” by the people in Trump’s entourage, officials said in the statement.The confrontation prompted the woman to file a report with law enforcement, but officials said she later decided not to press charges. “Therefore,” the statement says, “the Army considers this matter closed.”The identities of the two campaign employees alleged to be involved have not been disclosed.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…5mos5MO

John Oliver's Tearful Plea: Vote Kamala Harris or Face the Trump Menace Again

John Oliver got emotional during the final “Last Week Tonight” episode before the U.S. election, urging his viewers to vote for Kamala Harris.Though Oliver acknowledged that he’s spent a majority of airtime this election season discussing all the reasons not to vote for Donald Trump, he affirmed that he will be voting for Harris on Tuesday — even if her policies aren’t perfect. Born in the U.K., Oliver became an American citizen in 2019 and this year marks his second time voting in a U.S. presidential election.“Elections alone aren’t efficient for large-scale change, but they’re absolutely necessary for it to ever happen,” Oliver said. “Because it’s the day you essentially get to choose who you’d prefer to be pushing for the next four years and where you’ll be pushing them from.”Holding back tears, Oliver continued: “Look, I love this country. I’m an immigrant. I chose to be here. In the words of the late, great Lee Greenwood: I’m proud to be an American. And I’d argue there is nothing more American than having a healthy, adversarial relationship with those in power, even if you voted for them.”Oliver noted that “this hasn’t been a very uplifting speech,” so to end on a positive note, he made the point that if Trump doesn’t win this election, he likely wouldn’t run again.“I know he would put us through hell before he left the stage, but when the dust settled, he’d have lost two elections in a row and would be campaigning as an 82-year-old next time. I think he’d be done,” he said. “And doesn’t that sound great? I know, the problems that he’s a symptom of would of course remain, but we wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where he’s no longer an active threat, just an annoyance?”“I want so badly to live in that world,” Oliver concluded. “And I hope everyone does everything in their power in the next 48 hours to make that world possible.”

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