Do you want to be able to have a voice in changing America? Do you want to use political means to better the conditions of the people you know and love? Do you want to exercise your American right to vote? All of this can be taken away from you on a whim of a state legislator’s pen, with the use of gerrymandering. 

Gerrymandering is the extremely corrupt process used by state legislation in order to swing the vote in state legislator and presidential races dramatically, even if the vast majority of the state is voting another way. The most extreme example of this making only 25% of the majority votes would be taken into consideration. 

In gerrymandering, district voting lines are drawn in convoluted, non-linear ways in order to incorporate or eliminate certain voting tendencies. And the process is simple: All that would need to be done is a simple re-draw of the congressional borders in which groups of people can vote. 

Congressional borders are certain regions in states that represent the local population’s majority vote toward a certain issue, whether it be electing one state legislator over the other or electing the President, the important takeaway here being that every region, no matter how big or small, gets one vote.

So theoretically, if a state legislator who wants people to vote for him again knew that he had the Republican vote, he could make more targeted and fewer districts around communities that he knew are Democrats, and draw small, and more, districts around  Republican areas, which would make it so the Republican areas had more districts, therefore more votes. 

Studies show that more than 98% of Americans believe in one way or another their vote is not viable or that elections are not run well, but studies also show that less than 10% percent of that same population knows about gerrymandering. 

The implications of a population learning that their vote matters less than they think it already does would cause a great spark for reform and unrest among the general populace. A great example of this is the case of gerrymandering in North Carolina.

Since the 1990’s, gerrymandering in North Carolina slowly ramped up until it eventually became so extreme that it was nearly impossible for the majority vote to even slightly make a difference in the vote for office, and people started to notice. In fact, so many people started to notice that the state legislation that the very culture of the state started to morph around the corrupt policy.

Drinks started to be named after gerrymandering, businesses started to do political campaigns to stop gerrymandering, and people would even set up professional races to make runners run along the congressional district lines. 

They protested so hard and vividly that in 2011, congressional districts were deemed unconstitutional by Congress, and state officials were forced to redraw the districts. Soon after, however, the gerrymandering went back to exactly as it was after the state legislators were given back power to redraw the districts.

Even now, gerrymandering still goes on in almost every state in America to some degree. But if we remember what the North Carolinians tried and failed to do, and we really try to spark a movement, if we inform the populace of this threat to democracy, then maybe we can make our voices count again.

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are in America, you can start helping now. Start protecting your loved ones and friends from the danger of ignorance by telling them about gerrymandering. Email or send a letter to your local congressman or congresswoman about this violation of your human rights, they almost always respond. Seek action, seek answers; American politicians have failed us, only you can protect your voice now.

Gallery • 2 Photos

What optimal congressional districts should look like: a complete balance of Democrats and Republicans with swing votes to actually decide what side the state is going to vote for.