The following editorial is an edition of Fireside Chats with Ryan, a political editorial column. All views, thoughts and opinions belong solely to the author and do not represent those of The Drury Mirror. 

Every two years in America we have rigged elections. They’re not rigged by Russian interference, or Chinese nationals, or even by voter fraud.

It’s caused by the American government.

What is gerrymandering?

Every ten years the United States takes a census of the population. You’ve probably seen it, remember your parents talking about it, or learning about it in history class.

One aspect of the census is to help redistribute how many seats a state gets in the House of Representatives. A state that lost a large percentage of its population or that grew at a slower rate would give up a seat to a state that grew aggressively, like what happened to Missouri in 2013.

This aspect of American society is normal, but what’s also normal is the gerrymandering that comes with every election. After the census, the districts in each state are redrawn. The redrawing of the maps allows the legislators to move the lines where they want, dividing populations however they want.

A broken system

Gerrymandering is an idea that occurs in a lot of democratic nations, but in America it’s a bigger problem than in other countries for multiple reasons. The first reason is that, unlike most nations, America is one of only a few that allow the federal legislature to draw the districts unchecked.

Like I stated above, this means that the legislators in power can draw maps that almost guarantee their victory for years to come. The only other nation in the world that has a system where the legislators draw their own maps is France, while other nations create an independent panel to decide district lines.

Gerrymandering is an issue that can suppress the voice of the majority party. In 2012, the Republicans as a whole lost the popular vote in Pennsylvania, but still managed to win 70 percent of the seats in their state. When the minority party redistricts a state, it allows them to move lines that make voting from the other party irrelevant or reduces their impact on the legislative numbers.

Gerrymandering is an issue that hurts both ends of the political spectrum. Democrats and Republicans alike are known to redraw the maps in their home states to ensure their victories.

The top left of the graphic represents a state with 50 voting precincts, which needs to be divided into districts. The top right is what happens when the blue party is allowed to draw the map, ensuring that they have complete control of the state’s seats. The bottom left of the graphic is what happens when the green party is allowed to draw the district, giving themselves control of three districts despite the fact that they are not the majority. Finally, the graphic on the bottom right is what the state looks like when it’s divided up properly. Two green districts, and three blue districts. Graphic via Ryan Smith.

How to stop the uneven districts?

Unless something drastic happens within the next few years, it’s almost a guarantee that gerrymandering as we know it is going to continue to happen. The census that determines the new districts is only a few years away, and, no matter which party wins, the gerrymandering of districts is unstoppable.

If we want to give the American people the voice that they deserve, then we have to take matters into our own hands. We need to make this change ourselves.

Article by Ryan Smith.