Friend, you and I have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to permanently stop partisan gerrymandering in every state.
However… to win, we must get to work right now -- because the next round of redistricting is just around the corner.
Every state will draw brand new congressional districts in 2021. And, our actions between now and then will determine whether they are fair and representative... or whether politicians can gerrymander to pick and choose which people they represent.
Frankly, we can only sustain the intense level of action required if generous supporters like you step up in a big way. You can make all the difference -- and ensure we have the resources day in and day out to end the gerrymandering of congressional districts and state legislative districts.
We’ve just identified our top 2020 target states -- where we must go all out to fight gerrymandering and ensure fair maps. Can you chip in to help make it happen?
Or give another amount >>
Here’s just one example from the 2018 elections that illustrates why our work is so important: in Ohio, voters are pretty evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. But because of how Republicans drew Ohio’s district maps for their own advantage, they locked in a supermajority in the legislature -- once again short-circuiting the will of the voters!
This problem is widespread -- Republicans in North Carolina and Democrats in Maryland also manipulated district lines for partisan gain. And wherever it happens, gerrymandering denies voters like you and me our right to fair representation and a meaningful choice at the polls.
The current U.S. Supreme Court has left the problem to states to solve. So, we are taking on that challenge: working from the grassroots up in states and localities across the country to pass people-powered solutions.
Friend, here’s one reason I’m optimistic about this fight... we have one key advantage: when voters have an opportunity to decide on fair redistricting -- we win.
In fact, in just the past 18 months, Common Cause has helped pass groundbreaking anti-gerrymandering ballot measures in Ohio, Michigan, and Colorado, as well as supported efforts in Missouri and Utah. Voters know there’s something fundamentally wrong with letting politicians pick and choose their voters -- and they’re willing to resoundingly vote for fair redistricting measures at the ballot box.
In 2020, we will work on redistricting reforms in states like Oregon, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, and Georgia where we’ll employ every tool in our toolbox. From the ballot initiative process to local and state referendums, lobbying legislatures, litigating, and organizing… wherever and whenever maps are being drawn unfairly, we must respond.
It’s a simple idea, Friend: voters should pick politicians, and politicians shouldn’t get to pick their voters. If you agree, and you’re ready to fight back, then please chip in today.
When we give politicians the power to draw their own electoral maps, time and time again, they’ve shown they’ll cheat the system and silence our voices.
The next 18 months will be critical -- because between now and the next round of redistricting, we must demonstrate in the courts, in state legislatures, and at the ballot box that partisan gerrymandering has no place in a 21st-century democracy.
It’s time to secure fair voting maps once and for all. I know we can. I urge you to be as generous as you possibly can.
With thanks for all you do,
Kathay Feng, National Redistricting Director
and the team at Common Cause
