Gerrymandering & Redistricting
Independent redistricting commissions with transparent, codified criteria — applied uniformly across all states.
Why we hold this
Gerrymandering corrodes both governance quality (incumbents face primary threats but no general-election accountability) and trust in government (voters can see when a map is drawn for partisan advantage). The fix is structural: take map-drawing out of the hands of the people who benefit from it. Independent commissions, paired with public criteria — compactness, communities of interest, partisan symmetry — are the cleanest available remedy. We support them everywhere — including in states where the current map happens to favor the party you'd otherwise root for.
This position drives toward
Key Policy Points
- 1Independent redistricting commissions in every state, with members selected through a process insulated from legislative control
- 2Codified, public criteria: compactness, contiguity, communities of interest, partisan symmetry within a defined tolerance
- 3Algorithmic map evaluation as a baseline check, not a replacement for human judgment
- 4Apply uniformly — partisan parity is not parity if only one party reforms its maps
Where this sits
Context is what makes a position legible. Below: where the country is, where the major parties land, where we stand — and where you fall, if you want to answer the quiz.
Stance compass
Who should draw congressional district lines?
Country
Most states still let the legislature draw maps; a growing minority have moved to commissions of varying independence.
Democrats
Generally support independent commissions and algorithmic checks — though state parties resist when their own maps are favorable.
Republicans
Generally hold that legislatures are accountable to voters and commissions are unelected; resist federal commission mandates.
Pragmatists
Independent commissions everywhere, with codified criteria. Both parties gerrymander. Both should stop.
Where do you stand?
Answer a few questions to place yourself on the compass above.
1.Who should be primarily responsible for drawing congressional district lines?
2.How much partisan asymmetry should be tolerated in a final map?
3.Should the same standard apply nationally, or be left to each state?
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