Court throws out Republican Ohio gerrymandering

This will wind up in the Supreme Court with the other gerrymandering cases. The gerrymandering was extreme.

BREAKING – WE JUST WON OUR CASE CHALLENGING OHIO'S GERRYMANDERED MAP – (longer analysis to follow!) @ACLU pic.twitter.com/P2B8BIR0Cl
— ACLU of Ohio (@acluohio) May 3, 2019

Gerrymandered maps in Ohio have rigged elections for too long. We’re glad to see these unfair maps ruled unconstitutional. https://t.co/1tzX1HP0o5
— Let America Vote (@letamericavote) May 3, 2019

This decision follows the trial in which the map was rightly dubbed a ‘geographic monstrosity.’

Voters must choose their elected officials. Not the other way around.https://t.co/ZwveYF7HTU
— ACLU (@ACLU) May 3, 2019

Big news:

A 3-judge US District Court panel has ruled Ohio's congressional map is unconstitutional because of gerrymandering & needs to be redrawn.

"The Ohio map sacrifices respect for traditional districting principles in order to maximize pro-Republican partisan advantage." pic.twitter.com/wQu4PzOtXj
— Taylor Popielarz (@TaylorPopielarz) May 3, 2019

Missouri Republicans want to sabotage voting reforms

As Brennan Center expert @mcpli notes, the language in the amendment is “disturbing” and would “set the stage for the legislature to attempt to draw districts in 2021 on the basis of eligible voters or citizens.” https://t.co/MqMCyWBORT
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) April 27, 2019

After Missouri voters approved Amendment 1 in a landslide last year, making legislative redistricting fairer, Republicans in the legislature are now are plotting to roll back the amendment and make the ballot initiative process more difficult. https://t.co/Yapk5IdQyZ
— Let America Vote (@letamericavote) April 24, 2019

The people approved Amendment 1–now, MO Legislature, leave it alone.

“But the experience in Missouri and other states shows that politicians will seek to undermine reforms, no matter what the voters say.” https://t.co/cN1bU10KIm
— Stand Up Republic – Missouri (@SUR_Missouri) April 26, 2019

Victory against Michigan gerrymandering…for now

The Supreme Court could overturn this when they rule on gerrymandering later this year.

Federal judges just threw out Michigan's congressional map as unconstitutional, and it looks like another victory for anti-gerrymandering advocates.

But the SCOTUS is already considering the issue and will have the final say in June.@politico story –> https://t.co/3nX6AAfs8c
— Steven Shepard (@POLITICO_Steve) April 25, 2019

This is a big win for a stronger and fairer democracy. My work in this case showed that Michigan has some of the most gerrymandered congressional and state legislative maps in history. I'm excited that Michigan voters will now get #FairMaps. https://t.co/R7VU4JKIsK
— Chris Warshaw (@cwarshaw) April 25, 2019

This is excellent news for Michigan and the whole country. When a party draws congressional districts so that the other party has no chance of competing, it violates voters’ constitutional rights. It’s egregious, unAmerican corruption. End gerrymandering! https://t.co/UdxIbSTyWw
— Evan McMullin (@EvanMcMullin) April 25, 2019

This is how we fight back against voter suppression and win. Proud to have been part of this lawsuit to stop the illegal gerrymandering efforts that violated our rights in Michigan. https://t.co/S0ZFf6AzIM
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) April 25, 2019

Potential SCOTUS decision on gerrymandering notwithstanding, but damn this is big. We may get a new Michigan map by the end of the summer.https://t.co/J7HR22Xd1z
— Uncrewed (@Uncrewed) April 25, 2019

Gerrymandering update 4/10/19

NEW: @DKElections has finished calculating the 2016 presidential result for Virginia's redrawn state House map after the GOP gerrymander was struck down for racial discrimination. GOP is defending 7 Clinton seats, & Dems need to flip 2 seats for a majority https://t.co/wMWJe8dIF7 pic.twitter.com/gCunjfenZR
— Stephen Wolf (@PoliticsWolf) April 10, 2019

If you’re worried about gerrymandering, like we are, you need to pay attention to these five state Supreme Court races in 2020: https://t.co/FvEQEGK0hk pic.twitter.com/nw7sfP9VI9
— Let America Vote (@letamericavote) April 10, 2019

“Partisan gerrymandering undercuts the power of many people’s votes, rendering them virtually meaningless.” @PittsburghPG editorial board writes on #SCOTUS and #FairMaps https://t.co/aVCa12y926
— FairVote (@fairvote) April 7, 2019

The Supreme Court may draw an out-of-bounds line to prevent egregious cases of partisan redistricting. https://t.co/3Q1vV6d2yQ
— Esquire (@esquire) March 30, 2019

SCOTUS is on the verge of making a mathematical error. https://t.co/mb4pM8QuRm
— Slate (@Slate) March 29, 2019

The swing vote on partisan gerrymandering is … Brett Kavanaugh? https://t.co/PBHKIl8vNo
— Slate (@Slate) March 29, 2019

In the latest step toward democracy reform, Senate lawmakers introduced the #ForThePeopleAct — a package of legislation that would:
✔️ Advance voting rights
✔️ Curb partisan gerrymandering
✔️ Reform campaign finance laws https://t.co/MD5QFgdaZU
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) April 10, 2019

We could fix gerrymandering and our unfair electoral system if Congress passed my bill. Every vote would matter. It calls for

– ranked choice voting to elect House members and
– larger districts of 3-5 representativeshttps://t.co/48qo26XNOo
— Don Beyer (@DonBeyerVA) April 8, 2019

Yes, Virginia, ending gerrymandering can lead to #FairMaps https://t.co/lTSo3MR9TI
— Stephen Wolf (@PoliticsWolf) April 10, 2019

The #ForThePeople Act will end partisan gerrymandering, create fair Congressional maps, and return power to the American people.https://t.co/QKVuz6qZw0
— End Citizens United (@StopBigMoney) March 28, 2019

My hunch: extreme partisan gerrymanders will be less prevalent in 2021 than 2011, whether or not SCOTUS sets limits (which I’d bet against, btw). Why?

1) new commissions in MI, CO, OH, UT, etc.
2) heightened public scrutiny
3) more divided state control = more court-drawn maps
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 26, 2019

Supreme Court hearing on gerrymandering is today

Now we will see how partisan they are. Most gerrymandering has been done to benefit Republicans. Nobody should do it and it should be banned.

The Supreme Court appeared unlikely Tuesday to rule that federal courts have a role in deciding how much partisanship is too much when state legislatures draw the maps for voting districts.https://t.co/lLSXkD5lcJ
— Pete Williams (@PeteWilliamsNBC) March 26, 2019

With Kavanaugh, conservatives may now have the votes on the Supreme Court to insulate partisan gerrymandering from constitutional challenges. Arguments start at 10. https://t.co/vbJgcHRHW5
— Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) March 26, 2019

Partisan gerrymandering goes before the Supreme Court today with two cases concerning Maryland & North Carolina. Here’s an illustration showing just how massive of a difference it makes depending on who draws the lines https://t.co/JmkjK904SQ pic.twitter.com/p1SvvO5UlD
— Stephen Wolf (@PoliticsWolf) March 26, 2019

Kavanaugh appeared closer than Roberts to joining Kagan’s crusade and placing limits on “really extreme” gerrymanders. https://t.co/jKlUqXsGt5
— Slate (@Slate) March 26, 2019

Voters should be able to choose their elected officials without the influence of partisan meddling. That's why I have the only bill in Congress to explicitly ban partisan #gerrymandering. We need to fix our broken political system. https://t.co/CY4mRwZVmi
— Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) March 25, 2019

Today, the Supreme Court is taking up the issue of gerrymandering.

“Redistricting reform is an issue that should be beyond right and left. It’s about right and wrong,” @JohnAvlon says in this morning’s #RealityCheck. https://t.co/uRkGn0XqOn pic.twitter.com/EuuyaMSEnr
— CNN (@CNN) March 26, 2019

Not just that, but to take cases of racial gerrymandering and say "well this is just partisan and we can't do anything about it." https://t.co/W7DhrdWpW1
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) March 26, 2019

Two huge gerrymandering cases at Supreme Court today. If court upholds extreme partisan gerrymandering that will allow Republicans to rig elections for next decade. Pay attention to this https://t.co/fQIEuXndOO
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) March 26, 2019

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will not have to debate whether a group of North Carolina politicians deliberately redrew election maps to give their party the maximum partisan advantage.

The state’s Republican leaders admitted to doing exactly that. https://t.co/XO7UqPoqF9
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 26, 2019

Today at the Supreme Court: Two new challenges to partisan gerrymanderinghttps://t.co/vDbV9ZF9fr
— Adam Liptak (@adamliptak) March 26, 2019

For the second straight year, the Supreme Court has an opportunity to establish limits on partisan gerrymanderinghttps://t.co/6CpQtqmJW7
— POLITICO (@politico) March 26, 2019

The Supreme Court's conservative majority seems terrified that every vote might count equally, @AriBerman reports from today's gerrymandering hearings: https://t.co/NnWkIvGxzd
— Aaron Wiener (@aaronwiener) March 26, 2019

It would be hilarious if the fact that Maryland Dems gerrymandered the places where two conservative justifies live leads to the justices killing gerrymandering everywhere (which would largely benefit Dems) https://t.co/oK5sU2Gmdr
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) March 26, 2019

"Extreme partisan gerrymandering harms our political system, and harms the functioning of the House of Representatives in particular" write a bipartisan group of 40 current and former members of Congress in an amicus brief in today's #FairMaps #SCOTUS case https://t.co/9J6C9BWIio pic.twitter.com/MYdSVIBLJd
— Michael Beckel (@mjbeckel) March 26, 2019

Gorsuch & Kavanaugh cited success of state-level ballot initiatives creating independent redistricting commissions as reason SCOTUS didn’t need to curb partisan gerrymandering. They didn’t mention 4 conservative justices voted to gut independent commissions in 2015 pic.twitter.com/nRALfPJqTQ
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) March 26, 2019

LIVE: Protesters rally against gerrymandering in Washington, D.C. as issue reaches Supreme Court. https://t.co/qDSjHTyUUf
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 26, 2019

First, the slope of the relationship between seats and votes has flattened since 1994, making seat swings less responsive to vote shifts. In addition, the Republicans have enjoyed an average eight-seat bonus since 2010 that persisted into 2018.https://t.co/AZOxklG6GZ pic.twitter.com/6jOEH22jm8
— Peter H. Lemieux (@PeterHLemieux) March 26, 2019

Critical week for gerrymandering

Two gerrymandering cases go before the Supreme Court. They are North Carolina (Republican) and Maryland (rare Democratic gerrymandering). The court has been reluctant to get involved in political gerrymandering cases. If they don’t this time, I am counting on Democrats in the congress. They included it in H.R. 1 which passed the House. Of course, the Senate won’t even discuss it since Republicans are the main beneficiaries and thus are not interested in fair elections. Sad!

Recent polls show that most Americans on both sides of the aisle want the court to step in to put an end to gerrymandering. If the court doesn’t act, its risks appearing more, not less, political, says Brennan Center expert @tomTMwolf. https://t.co/hFIaNJISm5
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) March 25, 2019

Typical Walker. This is utter nonsense. Under his leadership, Wisconsin is one of the most rigged/unfair states in the country. He and his cronies in the legislature gerrymandered in 2011 and then used that power to pass a discriminatory voter ID law that targets people of color https://t.co/yqA74Nh7xY
— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) March 21, 2019

How is this not gerrymandering? pic.twitter.com/YqozxArAOl
— BigMac (@bgmc31) March 22, 2019

If SCOTUS legalizes extreme partisan gerrymandering before next round of redistricting that will have as devastating an impact on democracy as anything in Mueller report. Pay attention to NC/MD cases this week https://t.co/fQIEuXndOO
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) March 25, 2019

The Democratic governor of North Carolina & the Republican governor of Maryland say in a joint op-ed that it’s time for SCOTUS to put limits on gerrymandering. #fairmaps https://t.co/ibT7Nc6NzQ
— Michael Li (@mcpli) March 25, 2019

Judges in Texas and 11 other states are considering whether mapmakers — typically state lawmakers — have gerrymandered legislative districts for their own benefit:https://t.co/cHLhFy8lum
— Let America Vote (@letamericavote) March 25, 2019

North Carolina is evenly split politically. But Republicans drew maps that gave them 10 of the state's 13 House seats. Can they do that? The Supreme Court is about to decide. https://t.co/p0p6kVLMmI
— NYT National News (@NYTNational) March 25, 2019

"You don’t need to agree with the statement, and you don’t need to support partisan considerations in redistricting … But you should understand the full story." @RalphHise and @RepDavidRLewis give context to a controversial gerrymandering statement: https://t.co/FrDnFd2NYD
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) March 25, 2019

An analysis of 2018 election results from @AP finds Republicans had a built-in advantage in how political districts were drawn that helped reduce Democratic gains. https://t.co/rqk4jPTghl
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 21, 2019

Concentrate on gerrymandering and voter suppression

The Democrats in the House passed HR 1, a huge voting overhaul that has no chance at all in the Senate.

I think it would be better if they chopped it up into pieces. It would be easier to explain to the public if they concentrated on one item at a time.

I would start with gerrymandering. It is easy to show examples like Wisconsin and North Carolina. (Yes, Democrats did it in Maryland but this is almost entirely a Republican problem.) The public will understand and approve of the idea of fairness. Democrats also need to emphasize that when districts are redrawn like in Pennsylvania, it’s to promote fairness, not Democrats.

Since the Republicans won’t do anything, it should be easy to tag them as being opposed to fair elections. See the tweet below for a new study that shows obvious problems.

Same for voter suppression. Everyone should understand that all people who are eligible to vote should be able to vote. Republicans have made extensive suppression efforts in places like Georgia.

An analysis of 2018 election results from @AP finds Republicans had a built-in advantage in how political districts were drawn that helped reduce Democratic gains. https://t.co/rqk4jPTghl
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 21, 2019