house Bill H.R. 219
Should States Have to Use Independent Redistricting Commissions?
Argument in favor
Gerrymandering blatantly manipulates voting districts to serve political interests. Independent commissions in each state would take redistricting out of the hands of politicians and make elections more competitive to actually serve the people.
08/19/2015
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is an important step in the fight against voter suppression. When congressional districts are controlled by partisanship it is bad for voters and our democracy. Allowing non-partisan commissions to draw district lines will help combat the hyper-partisan gerrymandering we have seen in some states. We still must go further—it’s time to restore the Voting Rights Act, expand early voting periods and make it easier for people to vote, not harder.” [sanders.senate.gov]
08/19/2015
"A nonpartisan process for determining Congressional districts — that you can encourage a little more thoughtfulness, a little bit more interest in, you know, appealing to the, the basic common sense and goodness and decency of the American people, rather than just an — a narrow sliver of your base.” [ivn.us]
···
07/02/2015
Gerrymandered districts are among the root causes of the gridlock in congress today. Districting should not be in the hands of the parties who stand to benefit from it directly.
Argument opposed
If the people of a state want to avoid gerrymandering, they’ll encourage reform with the way that they vote, and the representatives they elect. It isn’t the federal government’s place to mandate that states use a certain method of redistricting.
···
07/04/2015
And exactly who do you think will be appointing these commissions. Total waste of time and effort.
···
09/30/2016
For one thing, I can't see how the federal government has any right to dictate a solution to gerrymandering to the states. As for an "independent redistricting commission," how are you going to ensure that they reach their decisions in a politically unbiased manner? We have some Supreme Court judges (and lower court judges, too) who let their political bias affect their judgments! And don't forget the mainstream media! They're supposed to be unbiased in reporting the news, but they're obviously bought and paid for!
I keep telling you that you folks made a HUGE mistake in removing God from government and the schools! The best solution for gerrymandering is raising the MORAL STANDARDS of our society! Christianity (as exemplified by the New Testament Christians) is the antidote to corruption.
Because many of you misinterpreted the Constitution, be it intentionally or through ignorance, you are now reaping what you sowed. You were like the Hebrew people of the Old Testament times: they eventually reached a point where they rejected God's rule over them. They wanted to be ruled by a king like the surrounding nations. God let them have their way.
Turning your back on God never works out well for individuals OR FOR NATIONS!
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is an important step in the fight against voter suppression. When congressional districts are controlled by partisanship it is bad for voters and our democracy. Allowing non-partisan commissions to draw district lines will help combat the hyper-partisan gerrymandering we have seen in some states. We still must go further—it’s time to restore the Voting Rights Act, expand early voting periods and make it easier for people to vote, not harder.” [sanders.senate.gov]
"A nonpartisan process for determining Congressional districts — that you can encourage a little more thoughtfulness, a little bit more interest in, you know, appealing to the, the basic common sense and goodness and decency of the American people, rather than just an — a narrow sliver of your base.” [ivn.us]
Gerrymandered districts are among the root causes of the gridlock in congress today. Districting should not be in the hands of the parties who stand to benefit from it directly.
Dear god please, I don't care so much who wins as long as it's a fair process.
Gerrymandering is the greatest threat to democracy! According to the CATO Institute 90% of Americans live in districts where their votes do not make a difference due to districting. Politicians decide who gets to vote for them, we don't decide who gets our vote.
The majority remain the majority when they own the playing field.
As a citizen that was born and raised in a fundamentally gerrymandered area of VA I would love to see FULLY INDEPENDENT groups to redistrict my state.
And exactly who do you think will be appointing these commissions. Total waste of time and effort.
For one thing, I can't see how the federal government has any right to dictate a solution to gerrymandering to the states. As for an "independent redistricting commission," how are you going to ensure that they reach their decisions in a politically unbiased manner? We have some Supreme Court judges (and lower court judges, too) who let their political bias affect their judgments! And don't forget the mainstream media! They're supposed to be unbiased in reporting the news, but they're obviously bought and paid for!
I keep telling you that you folks made a HUGE mistake in removing God from government and the schools! The best solution for gerrymandering is raising the MORAL STANDARDS of our society! Christianity (as exemplified by the New Testament Christians) is the antidote to corruption.
Because many of you misinterpreted the Constitution, be it intentionally or through ignorance, you are now reaping what you sowed. You were like the Hebrew people of the Old Testament times: they eventually reached a point where they rejected God's rule over them. They wanted to be ruled by a king like the surrounding nations. God let them have their way.
Turning your back on God never works out well for individuals OR FOR NATIONS!
I live in a gerrymandered district & I've noticed that most people I know either 1) don't know it OR 2) feel so powerless & disgusted that their response has been stop voting altogether. After a while, a broken system breaks the participants! In FL, where like D.C., almost nothing works, ending gerrymandering might revitalize a corrupt political landscape. Having a criminal as governor doesn't really help!
I do not trust the States to regulate the districts by common interests. Why let the fox watch the hen house. Gerrymandering districts does not serve the people and appears to negate votes.
The system is very broken when politicians can manipulate the map to ensure huge blocs of voters are rendered voiceless. Gerrymandering is an affront to democracy and while there is no guarantee that an independent group would not have its own bias or scandal, there is a guarantee that it will continue to be abused if left unchecked.
Why do politicians feel they know what's best for we the people. It is we the people who have empowered these politicos and we need this to ensure we the people can unseat these egomaniacs
This is the only way we can prevent the rampant gerrymandering that we see within certain states, producing a congresssional map that is actually representative of the people within a state.
Gerrymandering is the bane of the election process. It's political bordering on corruption. Let's keep things fair, just, impartial and unbiased.
This bill will set the foundation for a true representative democracy, not one manufactured by politicians seeking reelection.
It’s absolutely ridiculous that a single party is in charge of the districting in a state. There is literally no checks or recourse for abusive districting processes. This is a step in the right direction for fixing the problems in our voting system as a whole. Next is the Winner-Take-All system in our electoral college.
States provide a check on the federal government. Giving more power to the federal government over elections dilutes that check further concentrating power in the hands of fewer people and that never ends well in the long run.