"The Courts Won't End Gerrymandering. Eric Holder Has a Plan to Fix It Without Them." Seeing that headline in
Mother Jones this week made me smile.
It's been a tough few weeks...the SCOTUS decision refusing to block partisan gerrymandering was a disappointing loss for fairness in our democracy. But the
Mother Jones headline emphasizes what we already know:
the fight to end gerrymandering isn't going to be easy, which is why we're building a grassroots army to fight back.
AG Holder recently traveled to Wisconsin, one of the most severely gerrymandered states in the country, to meet with community organizers and advocates for fair maps. In 2018, Democrats won every single statewide office in Wisconsin, including defeating Scott Walker. Democrats also won 54% of the vote for the state legislature, but only took home 36% of the seats. While AG Holder was in Wisconsin, he was joined by
Mother Jones' Ari Berman who recently reported on the important work local community organizers are tackling to fight for fair elections in the Badger State.
This in-depth reporting breaks down how Republican map manipulation turned elections in their favor and helped them maintain political power.Here's the lay of the land outlined in the video: In 2010, Republicans took control of nearly every key swing state -- and soon after drew heavily gerrymandered maps to preserve their party's political power. With the 2020 Census and 2021 redistricting around the corner, we have to commit to supporting candidates who will fight for a fair and accurate census and fair maps.
The consequences are real. The next decade of democracy is on the line -- and it all hinges on whether we can build a movement to pressure lawmakers to draw, pass, and sign fair maps.
Looking for your own plan to end gerrymandering? Here are three things YOU can do right now:
When a minority party gets to write the rules so that they have majority power, the principles of a fair and just democracy are on the line. AG Holder said it best: "Let's make this a battle of ideas, as opposed to a battle of who is best at drawing the lines."
Donate today to help us fight for fair maps across the country.
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Let's win this fight.
Patrick
Patrick Rodenbush
Communications Director
