Gerrymandering/Redistricting

Today, the Senate Rules Committee took a historic step in considering the For the People Act (S. 1), comprehensive legislation to protect our freedom to vote, ensure that our voices are heard by preventing billionaires from buying our elections, and enable us to elect leaders who represent our interests by making sure district lines are drawn by nonpartisan commissions rather than behind closed doors by incumbent politicians. The bill now heads to the Senate floor. Although congressional Republicans and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continue to obstruct this bill, the For the People Act remains popular among Republican, Democratic, and independent voters. In fact, key provisions of the bill have already been passed and proven successful in red, blue, and purple states.

"We will see a lot of lawsuits," said Kathay Feng, the national redistricting director at the good government group Common Cause, chuckling at a question about how much litigation there will be this redistricting cycle. Redistricting, she said, “is always a breeding ground for people who are discontent with the results.”

Common Cause Redistricting & Representation Counsel Suzanne Almeida helps Joshua understand what's riding on the Census. And she explains why even though President Trump's attempts to keep undocumented people from being counted were unsuccessful, they may have left people confused or scared of answering.

You’ve probably heard of gerrymandering, the term for when politicians redraw political districts to either consolidate power — or break up their opponents’ supporters. But you probably don’t know that it dates back to the earliest years of the country and was named after a district that looked like a salamander. And you also may not know how it directly affects your life. LX News host Nik Z breaks it down with Dan Vicuna of Common Cause.