While the upcoming election has drawn the predictable trope of being called “the most important election of our lifetime,” it might be even more important than most voters realize. This November will help to define American politics for the coming decade and beyond, pointing out the need for the rest of the country to follow the lead of our state.
This has nothing to do with partisanship or battles between Republicans and Democrats. It has to do with basic fairness that is essential to a political system that works toward government for the people and by the people. It has to do with gerrymandering.
In Washington, a four-person Washington Redistricting Commission is tasked every 10 years with drawing the state’s congressional and legislative districts following the results of the latest census. As dictated by a 1983 amendment to the state constitution, the commission is selected by both Republicans and Democrats in the state House and Senate, with each caucus nominating one representative.
Following the 2010 census, Washington added one congressional seat because of increased population. The commission carved out the 10th Congressional District in the area around Olympia, a move that drew some population out of the 3rd District, which includes Clark County.
Washington’s method for drawing districts is bipartisan and fair — at least compared with the process in most states. Typically, redistricting is handled by the governor or the Legislature, which gives enormous power for the party in charge to gerrymander districts to their benefit as they place a desire for power ahead of the principles of representative democracy.
Following the 2010 census, Republicans in Michigan left no secret about their desire to, as one GOP staffer wrote, cram “ALL of the Dem garbage” into certain districts. In Ohio, Republicans spent months secretly redrawing congressional and legislative maps. In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court threw out a gerrymandered map, as did a court in North Carolina. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to weigh in on the issue recently, but the notion of gerrymandering and its threat to our democracy has drawn increasing attention.
That threat can be nebulous, but a little thought provides clarity. Imagine an area with 50 voters — 25 who lean Republican and 25 who typically vote Democratic. Let’s say those voters will select five representatives. By packing one district with 10 voters of similar persuasion, the other four districts can all support the party that drew the map. The result is a 4-1 advantage in terms of representation, even though the total votes are equal.
In 2016 races for the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans received 49 percent of the vote (Democrats had 48 percent) but won 55 percent of the seats. Experts this year say Democrats need to have about a 7 percent national advantage in the popular vote to retake control of the House.
That demonstrates the importance of down-ballot elections for governors (Washington’s governor is not up for election this year) and state legislators. It also demonstrates the importance of our state’s system for drawing congressional and legislative maps.
Regardless of one’s political preferences, it is not difficult to see the dangers of gerrymandering and the way in which it bastardizes the idea of one person, one vote. Other states should adopt Washington’s bipartisan approach in order to strengthen this nation’s democracy.
