Gerrymandering is a permanent part of the  American fabric

Gerrymandering is purely political. It tends to disenfranchise voters aligned with the out-of-power party. It is controversial whenever and wherever it occurs.  It is unfair.  And … it is as American as apple pie.

The idea of those in power drawing political districts to benefit themselves is as old as the Republic.  It first gained wider recognition in 1812, when Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry designed a district that reminded the editor of the local newspaper of a salamander.  And thus, the practice acquired a euphemistic name – more poetic than “dirty politics”.

Despite decades of condemnation, gerrymandering has been a staple of American politics.  Partly because no one has come up with a sensible way to stop it.  True … there have been efforts to handle the matter through so-called independent or non-partisan commissions.  That has never worked because it is impossible for political forces to create bodies that are not political.  One party or the other – whichever has the power – will produce commissions favorable to their political interest.  The illusion of independence provides political cover, but the results remain partisan. Until commissions are truly insulated from political pressure – a virtual impossibility — they will serve as window dressing—not reform.

Across the American political landscape, few issues are as persistently contentious—and as cynically manipulated—as congressional redistricting. While both major parties have engaged in gerrymandering, recent developments expose a glaring double standard among Democrats As they decry Republican-led redistricting efforts – brutally political as they may be – they are offset by a long history of Democrat gerrymandering.  One will find the most ridiculously gerrymandered districts in Democrat states.

Constitutional Authority and Historical Precedent

The U.S. Constitution leaves the creation of congressional districts entirely in the hands of state legislatures. There are no constitutional mandates governing how or when districts must be drawn. While it has become customary to redraw maps following the decennial census, that is merely tradition—not law. The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that it lacks jurisdiction to impose standards on redistricting (other than constitutional civil rights), leaving states free to chart their own course.

Mid-decade redistricting—such as the one occurring in Texas—is not a novel tactic.  In fact, the first mid-decade redraw occurred in 1816 when the Federalists took control of the Massachusetts House and redrew Gerry’s map. The courts were not involved at the time.  it was pure politics.

Compact and Contiguous—In Theory

There’s a widely held belief that districts should be “compact and contiguous,” but this standard is vague and unenforceable. Some states attempt to honor it while others blatantly disregard it. The result is a patchwork of district shapes that often defy logic and geography. While Republicans have certainly engaged in gerrymandering, Democratic-led states have taken the practice to new extremes—all while claiming to be opponents  of gerrymandering and champions of fairness and reform. (Feel free to laugh, if you like).

Proportionate Representation—Selective Outrage

Democrats have embraced the concept of proportionate representation in criticizing the Texas redistricting plan — arguing that congressional seats should reflect the percentage of votes each party receives. But this principle is conspicuously absent in Democratic-led states. Republican voters are systematically underrepresented.

Illinois

• Congressional Vote Share (2022): 55% Democrat
• Seats Held: 14 of 17 (82% Democrat) Illinois is arguably the most gerrymandered state in the nation – and has been for generations. The district lines are so convoluted that they’ve become a national punchline. Despite widespread public support for an independent commission—75% of voters backed the idea in a 2020 poll—the Democrat legislature remains in control, and the Democrat governor holds veto power. Reform efforts have failed, and partisan manipulation continues unabated to this day.

California

• Congressional Vote Share (2022): 63% Democrat
• Seats Held: 40 of 52 (77% Democrat) California touts its independent redistricting commission as a model of fairness. Yet the results tell a different story. Republicans received 37% of the vote but hold only 23% of the seats. Governor Gavin Newsom currently working on an effort to widen that discrepancy.  And what about that highly vaunted commission?  Newsom is simply ignoring it.
• New York

• Congressional Vote Share (2022): ~61% Democrat
• Seats Held: 15 of 26 (~58% Democrat) New York’s initial 2022 maps were struck down by the courts for civil rights violations. Governor Kathy Hochul has since floated the idea of redrawing them again, despite constitutional hurdles. The goal? To reclaim seats lost to Republicans in swing districts.

Massachusetts

• Congressional Vote Share (2022): ~65% Democrat
• Seats Held: 9 of 9 (100% Democrat) Massachusetts is a one-party state in terms of congressional representation. Republican voters are effectively disenfranchised, their voices drowned out by district lines designed to ensure zero GOP seats.

Fighting Fire with Fire—or Just Fanning the Flames?

Democratic leaders claim their redistricting efforts are a defensive response to Republican gerrymandering.  Governor Newsom’s declaration— “We’re going to fight fire with fire”—captures this sentiment. But this narrative collapses under scrutiny. In reality, Democrats have been gerrymandering with impunity for decades. The attacks on GOP redistricting is  just plain old fashion political hypocrisy.

The hypocrisy is especially evident when Democrats bypass independent commissions, ignore court rulings, or redraw maps mid-decade. These actions reveal their true priorities: maintaining control, not promoting equity.

When large states like California, New York, and Illinois engage in gerrymandering, the national impact is profound. These states send dozens of representatives to Congress, and their skewed maps distort the balance of power.

Time to Call Out the Hypocrisy

Democrats cannot claim the moral high ground on gerrymandering while simultaneously manipulating maps to their advantage. Their criticism of Texas is not a principled stand—it’s political theater. If fairness is the goal, then reform must be consistent and bipartisan. That means applying the same standards to Illinois, California, New York, and Massachusetts as they do to Texas and Florida. 

Until then, the sanctimony rings hollow. The real victims are the voters—Republican, Democrat, and Independent—whose voices are drowned out by partisan cartography. Perhaps – after all these years – we should just accept that gerrymandering is baked into that American apple pie.  We should quit engaging in hypocrisy and accept the fact that the party in power has … power.  And that gerrymandering is just the way a democratic republic works.  It is not the best – or the worst – system.  It is the only system.

So, there ‘tis.

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