Making Elections Less 'Safe'
Every 10 years, lawmakers in most states redraw voting districts based on the latest Census results. They can divide neighborhoods, pull in distant blocks of voters, or even exclude potential challengers' homes in an attempt to increase the odds that a candidate from the party in power will be re-elected.
Reps. John Tanner (D., Tenn.) and Michael Castle (R., Del.) hope their proposed Redistricting Transparency Act will change that. The bill would require each state to set up a website through which the public can monitor and comment on proposed redistricting before plans are finalized.
Some policy analysts maintain that the federal government shouldn't issue national mandates on voting districts. "The framers of the Constitution provided that power to the states," notes Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But supporters of greater transparency in redistricting say it would benefit democracy. "More people would be engaged in the process, and voters would have a better chance of holding their representatives accountable," explains J. Gerald Hebert of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. Says Tanner: "The idea is to encourage more fairly drawn, competitive districts so that voters choose their politicians, rather than politicians choosing their voters."
Reps. John Tanner (D., Tenn.) and Michael Castle (R., Del.) hope their proposed Redistricting Transparency Act will change that. The bill would require each state to set up a website through which the public can monitor and comment on proposed redistricting before plans are finalized.
Some policy analysts maintain that the federal government shouldn't issue national mandates on voting districts. "The framers of the Constitution provided that power to the states," notes Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But supporters of greater transparency in redistricting say it would benefit democracy. "More people would be engaged in the process, and voters would have a better chance of holding their representatives accountable," explains J. Gerald Hebert of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. Says Tanner: "The idea is to encourage more fairly drawn, competitive districts so that voters choose their politicians, rather than politicians choosing their voters."
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