Every decade, states and local governments redraw voting districts across the country to take into account changes over the preceding decade. Done right, this process ensures that districts have equal populations and that legislative bodies are, in the words of John Adams, “a miniature” of the people as a whole. Unfortunately, redistricting is often instead waylaid by racial discrimination and partisan manipulation, as those in power draw maps to manufacture outcomes to their own advantage — a practice called gerrymandering.
The Brennan Center is fighting for fair maps. This effort is all the more important now that the Supreme Court has struck down crucial parts of the Voting Rights Act and said it won’t do anything to stop partisan gerrymandering. We’re leading a campaign to reform how maps are drawn through smart solutions that ban partisan gerrymandering, strengthen protections for communities of color, and require transparency and public participation. We’re also supporting the critical work of grassroots organizations advocating for their communities during the map-drawing process.
