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It is undeniable that the insurrectionists who attacked our Capitol were encouraged and emboldened by the seditious rhetoric of elected officials -- many of whom were in the very building they stormed.
There are many factors that led to this attack -- our country's deep-rooted history of racism, conservative courts' erosion of voting rights, unfettered false rhetoric, and the desperation of a political party that has failed to secure a majority of the nationwide popular vote more than once in the past 30 years.
But we would like to call specific attention to a factor we have a chance to directly address head-on this year -- gerrymandering.
Of the 147 members of Congress who voted to overturn the election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania, half of the representatives hail from gerrymandered states.
Forty-three of the House members -- like Ohio's Jim Jordan -- represent gerrymandered districts themselves. And while Senators like Texas's Ted Cruz and Missouri's Josh Hawley didn't leverage gerrymandering to win their statewide elections -- they both inevitably benefit from voting restrictions imposed by their gerrymandered state legislatures.
As the New York Times reported: "Almost all of them are guaranteed to win re-election."
We need both short term consequences and long term structural accountability in response to the attempt by these 147 members of Congress to undermine millions of voters. Help us end gerrymandering and pass comprehensive democracy reforms.
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Right now, Congress is considering the For the People Act that would reform redistricting, protect voting rights, and strengthen ethics standards. This is the kind of structural accountability that can set our democracy on a more fair and just path.
There is strong public support for the For the People Act -- recent polls show 67% of Americans support this bill! It is expected to pass in the House soon, as it has previously. And with pro-democracy senators holding the majority, it might finally pass the Senate and become law.
But we can't take this momentum for granted.
Here are three ways you can help advocate for democracy reform:
➔ Contact your members of Congress and ask for their support.
➔ Submit a letter-to-the-editor to your local newspaper.
➔ Chip in a few dollars to help fund our advocacy efforts.
Last week, we witnessed the transfer of power that some tried to violently stop. We are starting to see some insurrectionists be held accountable for their actions during the attack. But so far, we've seen very little tangible accountability for these 147 members of Congress who collectively voted to overturn more than 10 million legally-cast ballots.
Now is the time for robust, comprehensive democracy reform. We must take action to fortify our democracy with structural accountability.
