By Carol Lucas
While every news source this past week was focused upon the Epstein obscenity, something else was happening in this country that should be front and center in the minds of those who value democracy.
This is not to suggest that we ignore all that surrounds that which Epstein and his cohorts perpetrated … not for a single moment. I have two daughters and two granddaughters, and my rage and disgust know no bounds. Frankly, so should yours.
But the issue I want to address in this piece is the gerrymandering that is being attempted in Texas. It has happened before, and make no mistake, if Texas succeeds, it will spread like wildfire to other states, ensuring that the return to democracy as we know it will evaporate.
Therefore, I suggest we tap into our ability to walk and chew gum at the same time, look at what is happening squarely in the face, and raise our voices with a vehement, “Hell, NO!”
It is a fact that No. 47 personally called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and told him to redraw the state’s congressional maps to hand Republicans five more House seats.
To understand gerrymandering, it’s important to know a few things about the process. Every 10 years, on the years ending in zero, Americans participate in the Census. Data is then used to create congressional and state legislative district maps. This is to reflect changes in the population for the purpose of “equitable representation” in government.
Every source I accessed for a definition used the word “manipulation.” More often than not, this manipulation makes it harder for voters of color to elect their preferred candidate.
This process won’t occur years after a census, nor during regular redistricting. It is being done now, however, because 47 wants it for what are obvious reasons.
It is said that Abbot initially hesitated, but then came the phone call, and suddenly there were “constitutional concerns” and a letter, delivered by the DOJ, claiming that four of the five districts in question are “racial gerrymanders.” As the author of the article referenced, Rachael Hurley, stated, “This supposedly gave a thin layer of legal justification that wouldn’t survive in a stiff breeze.”
So how did we get to this place? Perhaps a little history of this “moving of the goal posts” is required.
The term for the political tactic of manipulating boundaries of electoral districts for unfair political advantage derives its name from a prominent 19th-century political figure — and from a mythological salamander.
The term, originally written as “Gerry-mander,” first was used on March 26, 1812, in the Boston Gazette — a reaction to the redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under Gov. Elbridge Gerry.
Though the redistricting was done at the behest of his Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party, it was Gerry who signed the bill. As a result, he received the dubious honor of attribution, along with its negative connotations, according to Mark Dimunation, Rare Book and Special Collections.
By definition alone, what Texas is doing is breaking the once-in-a-decade rule, and if they get away with it, you can be sure that every red state will follow suit. In fact, I found that North Carolina has already restructured a Republican map in what was a purple state, and Ohio is planning a mid-decade redraw.
Meanwhile, the 8th Circuit decided that private citizens can’t sue under the Voting Rights Act anymore; only the DOJ can. That means civil rights groups lost their best tool for challenging racist maps. While the Supreme Court rendered a temporary stay on that ruling, I think it is fair to say that given some of their recent decisions, the country can’t rely upon the court.
On a positive note, one governor has come out swinging. It is no surprise that California’s Gavin Newsom has reaffirmed his intention for California to respond with new maps of its own that would benefit Democrats. He met with Texas lawmakers, and later told reporters, “It is mandatory to take back the House of Representatives.” adding,“If we don’t put a stake into the heart of this administration, there may not be an election in 2028.
“They’re not screwing around. We can’t afford to screw around either. We have got to fight fire with fire.”
Here in S.C., we have groups that are protesting on a regular basis, and that is good. That said, we must do more. Organizations like the ACLU, Campaign Legal Center, and Common Cause are suing in multiple states, but they need money and attention. And here’s the part most people don’t know: in many states, regular citizens can join those lawsuits. You can literally be part of the fight.
Then there’s this. If South Carolina had an independent redistricting commission, citizens could apply to serve. However, on May 23, 2024, SCOTUS reversed a lower court’s Jan. 6, 2023, decision striking down South Carolina’s congressional map as unconstitutional. As a result, this map was used for South Carolina’s 2024 congressional elections.
If you really care about this issue, consider using PlanScore.org. Upload any district map, and you can determine whether or not you think it has been manipulated.
One silver lining is this: gerrymandering can implode. Texas Republicans pushed too far after 2010 and paid for it in 2018 when suburban voters flipped 12 state House seats. If they overextend now, chasing five more seats, they could make some of those new districts winnable for Democrats.
My research paints a grim picture. This is democracy tampering, plain and simple, and right now we are on the cusp of losing all that we have taken for granted.
Remember, however, that we have tools in the toolbox, and that organizations exist to help us use those tools. We simply have to show up and put them to work.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
