Gerrymandering is all over the news. Here are the basics…
(published Apr 2021, updated Aug 2025)
For the idealistic, ‘elections’ mean voters choose their governmental representatives but in reality, free and fair elections are prey to many problems and one of the major ones is gerrymandering. These are the oddly-shaped congressional districts drawn around voting populations to ensure those seats stay in the hands of one political party. Instead of voters picking their politicians, gerrymanders allow politicians to pick their voters. This dilutes the will of the people, prevents good ideas from getting traction, and locks in corruption and stasis.
Voting district lines are redrawn every 10 years after the census, so the 2020 census data gave us an opportunity to look closely at the issue of gerrymandering. Only 5 years later, though, gerrymandering is in the news because Texas is threatening to explicitly draw partisan district lines to give 5 more Congressional seats to Republicans and California is threatening to dump their non-partisan lines to gerrymander their state in response.
We first wrote this article in 2021, when gerrymandering wasn’t in the news much at all. Most of this article is about the generalities of gerrymandering itself, but we’ve added a section at the end to dive a little deeper into the Texas/California gerrymandering fight going on now.
What is Gerrymandering?
Political scientists build careers studying ‘gerrymandering’, but no one needs a political science degree to understand the basics. Gerrymandering is drawing political district maps to favor a particular party instead of reflecting a cross-section of citizens. We’ve given a couple links and examples, but that first link to the Washington Post article really IS the best explanation out there.
This is the best explanation of gerrymandering you will ever see, Christopher Ingraham in Washington Post, Mar 2015 (or try Gerrymandering explained, (video 2:41) The Washington Post, Nov 2017)
Gerrymandering Key Facts– FairVote.org
Gerrymandering Examples to Explain It in Simple Terms, YourDictionary.com
The 12 worst House districts: Experts label gerrymandering’s dirty dozen, David Meyers on The Fulcrum, Nov 2019
What Is Extreme Gerrymandering? Michael Li and Annie Lo at the Brennan Center for Justice, Mar 2019
Here’s how the Census determines control of the US government, Zachary B. Wolf on CNN, Apr 2021
(More videos for the Cool Kids)
Gerrymandering: (video 19:33)) Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), Apr 2017
Gerrymandering (video 5:59) Khan Academy- Good explanation using Travis County in Texas as a case study
What’s The Effect?
Logically, building a system independent of the will of the People would create distortions from the People’s will, and it does. Here are just a few of the effects…
The Impact of Partisan Gerrymandering, Alex Tausanovitch at Center for American Progress, Oct 2019
How Partisan Gerrymandering Limits Voting Rights, Alex Tausanovitch and Danielle Root at the Center for American Progress, Jul 2020
America’s most gerrymandered congressional districts, Christopher Ingraham in Washington Post, May 2014
Analysis: Partisan gerrymandering has benefited Republicans more than Democrats, by AP on BusinessInsider, Jun 2017
The Pots Call The Kettles Gerrymandered
Gerrymandering is a true ‘both sides’ issue because both sides do it when they’re in control, and perhaps that’s an inevitable result when either Party is presented such an opportunity. That does NOT mean both sides are equal; Dems have pushed non-partisan redistricting plans across the country (notably in Blue states like California) while Reps have been rhetorically against gerrymandering but do it much more aggressively given the opportunity. This may be a result of actually having that chance… Reps control more State Legislatures than the Dems, so they’re more frequently in a position to draw the district lines. While neither side has clean hands, it’s important to look closely at the dirt on them.
Opinion: Everyone is against gerrymandering – until they’re the ones with the power to do it, Dan Morain in Washington Post, Mar 2021
No, both sides don’t gerrymander the same, Aaron Blake on CNN, Jul 2025
How Maryland Democrats pulled off their aggressive gerrymander, Christopher Ingraham in Washington Post, Mar 2018
Republicans criticize Democrats over legislative redistricting plans, Andrew Hensel in The Center Square, Apr 2021
AP analysis shows how gerrymandering benefited GOP in 2016, David Lieb on PBS NewsHour, Jun 2017
Why Democrats Might Need to Play Dirty to Win, Russell Berman in The Atlantic, Mar 2021
Democrats Hate Gerrymandering-Except When They Get to Do It, Matt Lewis on TheDailyBeast, Apr 2021
Exterminating Gerrymanders
Understanding the problem is one thing, but fighting it is another. Political parties don’t want to stop gerrymandering while lobbyists’ and grifters’ livelihoods depend on it. The Supreme Court has overturned attempts because they conflict with some of the more recent campaign finance laws like Citizen United.
Hating Gerrymandering Is Easy. Fixing It Is Harder., David Wasserman in FiveThirtyEight, Jan 2018
Congress Could Change Everything, Gareth Fowler and Wendy Weiser at Brennan Center for Justice, Mar 2021
REACTION: Democrat, Republican leaders criticize Supreme Court for partisan gerrymandering ruling, CommonCause.org, Jun 2019
People Not Politicians, organization
Five Ways H.R. 1 Would Transform Redistricting, Michael Li at Brennan Center for Justice, Jun 2019
What’s coming in 2021
Now that the census data is coming in, redistricting is ready to start for the next 10 years. Gerrymandering, and any possible fixes for it, have never been more relevant than now.
The 2020 Census Population and Apportionment Data, Explained, Madiba Dennie and Kelly Percival at Brennan Center for Justice, Apr 2021
Which States Won – And Lost – Seats In The 2020 Census? Geoffrey Skelley and Nathaniel Rakich on FiveThirtyEight, Apr 2021
With Ohio losing a seat in Congress, likely a Republican, is gerrymandering in our future? Laura Johnston on Cleveland.com, Apr 2021
Here at home in Oregon
An interesting thing happened in the Oregon Legislature in 2021. Republicans had been slow-walking legislation, crippling the Democrats’ agenda even though they held a near super-majority. The Dems, with redistricting coming up, held a majority in the panel that would draw the new districts. The two parties reached an agreement that the Reps would let legislation flow if the Dems would balance out the commission. Now the redistricting committee is bi-partisan, if not non-partisan, so there is a possibility that there will be a balanced selection for Oregon’s new congressional seat. But there’s also an incentive to reach a compromise instead of descending into partisan bickering… if the commission can’t determine a plan like adults, the job falls to Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, a Democrat who would get to do it all by herself. Stay tuned for deep political wonkery!
Oregon lawmakers reach deal to end delay tactics slowing session, Dirk VanderHart on OPB News, Apr 2021
Oregon to get 6th seat in Congress, Dirk VanderHart on OPB News, Apr 2021
The 2025 Gerrymandering fight
As we go to press with this article in August 2025, the national gerrymandering fight has hit something of a lull. Texas passed their proudly gerrymandered maps so California threatened to do the same, but in Cali the matter has to go to the voters because they have non-partisan redistricting, and the citizens would have to agree to an obvious gerrymander. While we wait for the matter to play through the courts, here’s several articles on the very real fight over gerrymandering today.
What’s the Texas redistricting fight about, and how has California reacted? Brian Osgood on AlJazeera, Aug 2025
Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan is on its way to voters. What you need to know Miller ang on CalMatters, Aug 2025
Texas Senate passes new Republican-drawn congressional map, Ben Kamisar on NBCNews, Aug 2025
Redistricting war between Texas and California is about to jolt the midterms, Crampton, Gardiner, and Reisman on Politico, Aug 2025
Trump says DOJ will sue California over redistricting as he celebrates similar Texas effort, Kevin Breuninger on CNBC, Aug 2025
How California bluffed its way into a redistricting war with Trump, Mason et al on Politico, Aug 2025
Why California and Texas are at the centre of a redistricting battle, Max Matza on BBC, Aug 2025
With Texas and California redistricting, both parties are making a 2026 gamble, Bradner and Saenz on CNN, Aug 2025
Led by Trump, Republicans push to redraw election maps in multiple states, Goba et al in Washington Post, Aug 2025
