Manipulation remains a debatable factor in American politics, but which states are transforming their electoral maps the most?
Newsweek mapped out the most manipulated states, according to data from the World Population Review.
Much of the worst manipulations were concentrated in parts of the southern and northeastern United States. The 11 worst offenders were North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Utah, Texas, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
According to the report, Wisconsin is considered to be the most gerrymandered state in the United States, the practice is provided in each and every state.
In 2022, Wisconsin voters elected a Democratic governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. These appointments were not affected by the gerrymandering because they used state-level voting. However, Republicans maintained a 64-35 and 21-11 majority in the state Assembly and Senate. , respectively, thanks to the maps drawn by Republicans that favored their party’s candidates in the state’s districts.
In February, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed new maps into law that he said the state “does not have the maximum number of maps manipulated in United States. “
World Population Review’s investigation also looked at post-2020 Texas redistricting, which FiveThirtyEight analysts said would have possibly represented “the worst gerrymandering in the country,” and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania, which “dilutes the interests of the giants. ” urban spaces”. ] dividing them among other districts.
In 2016, gerrymandering in Ohio helped the party that drew the maps win 75% of the Ohio State Senate seats with between 50 and 60% of the vote.
The term “gerrymander” dates back to 1812, when the administration of Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts enacted a law defining the state’s new senatorial districts.
This consolidated the Federalist Party vote in a handful of districts, resulting in disproportionate representation of Democratic-Republicans. The community’s distorted shape is said to resemble a salamander, giving rise to the term “Gerrymander. “
Manipulation is criticized for being undemocratic, allowing politicians to be their electorate and not the other way around. This can lead to less competitive elections, lower voter turnout, feelings of voter exclusion, and political polarization.
“Manipulation, by creating ‘safe’ electoral seats, is one of the biggest drivers of polarization on Capitol Hill,” Thomas Gift, associate professor of political science and founding director of the UCL Center for American Politics at University College London, told Newsweek. . Matrix “This guarantees that the only genuine festival that House members will face will come from the flanks of their parties in the primaries.
“Because primaries are generally low-turnout events governed by extremist partisans, Republicans are incentivized to move to their political right and Democrats are incentivized to move to their political left. Moderates are being wasted and the result is a sort of of dysfunctionality, hyper-partisan politics that is so familiar to us in Washington.
“By creating safe seats for each party, it means that the election is decided in the primaries. As primaries attract only the most committed and ideologically extremist supporters, the most successful candidates race to the political poles to win,” said Andrew Wroe. , Senior Lecturer in American Politics at the University of Kent. “This contributes to the development of political polarization that undermines the functioning of American democracy.
“Sophisticated knowledge and computer systems allow for very fine gradations of manipulation,” Wroe added.
“Neither party has a monopoly on manipulation,” Gift said. “Both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for redrawing electoral maps to the point of absurdity, and both have used gerrymandering as a weapon when it was politically practical. “
Update, 6/20/24, 9:40 a. m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.
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Joe Edwards is a Live News reporter in Newsweek’s London bureau. He covers U. S. and global news and has a specific interest in U. S. politics and social policy. Joe joined Newsweek in April 2024 after completing a master’s degree in International Journalism at the City University of London. United KingdomHe previously studied English history and literature at the University of Kent. Languages: English.
You can contact Joe by emailing joe. edwards@newsweek. com
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