John — gerrymandering is leading to more partisan polarization, and NPR just reported that the problem is getting worse:

“The North Carolina Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have now said that partisan gerrymandering is OK.”

North Carolina Republicans just redrew a balanced, court-ordered 7-7 congressional map to skew it 10-4 in their favor, with a newly conservative judiciary’s seal of approval.

Their existing gerrymander at the state legislative level is already so extreme that despite the Democratic governor’s veto, Republicans overrode him to create three additional seats for what is now a four-seat Republican U.S. House majority.

Before I put this into the broader context of redistricting cases across the country, will you add your name to my petition calling on the Senate to address gerrymandering and pass updated voting rights legislation?

Across the nation, voting rights groups and their opponents have filed dozens of lawsuits in 2023.

In Georgia and Alabama, federal courts this year found their congressional maps marginalized Black voters, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The courts ordered both states to redraw their congressional maps for the 2024 election.

Similar cases are pending in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, New York, and Utah and control of the House hangs in the balance.

According to CNN, “the fate of anywhere from 14 to 18 House seats across nearly a dozen states could turn on the results of these fights” — but here’s the bottom line:

Gerrymandering runs counter to a democracy where one person equals one vote.

I’ve made this my fight in the Senate for years, and I will never give up or give in. But I cannot win this fight alone.

That’s why I’m asking, John: Add your name to my petition calling on my Senate colleagues to take up voting rights legislation immediately. This redistricting crisis brought about by extreme partisanship requires Congress to act.

Thank you for taking this urgently needed action to speak up for the voting rights that are the bedrock of our democracy.

With love and gratitude,

Cory