The Recount: Why Expanding Congress Would End Gerrymandering

 Gerrymandering has been in the news lately. Texas recently approved a mid-decade redistricting plan thought not without controversy and states like Illinois and California are looking at creating their own plan. The ongoing controversy is partisan in practice with Republicans assuring they remain in control of the house while Democrats want to insure their own political power.

With this said when you watch the video below, consider this video I posted last year from Mr. Beat where there is an argument to expand the US House of Representatives. Let's add to this the possibility of using proportional representation that insures minority parties doesn't get shut out.

Most other nations on the globe either elect their legislatures this way or at least form their governments via proportional representation. And with this to work to determine members of the US House of Representatives what might help this along is expanding the members of the House as Mr. Beat discusses.

First watch the video [VIDEO]

IMHO, I think we do need to expand the number of Congresspersons (hey I like that better than Alderperson). I'm not entirely sold on proportional representation, but let's talk about it. We could expand this to state legislatures or even city councils (mostly big cities).

However, let's bear in mind this video is starting off talking about gerrymandering. The question is about creating fair maps.

Iowa is showing creating maps that largely considers county boundaries. Also why is there gerrymandering? These are districts drawn with political considerations and from what I know about redistricting in Illinois for example, it's to ensure that politicians get to retain their seats or more accurately to ensure politicians get to maintain their constituencies.

That means sometimes in other states outside of Iowa, cities might get split up between different districts. An example of Massachusetts the point was made that to ensure there is a Republican district there is to create a heavily gerrymandered map to elect one Republican there to Congress. Massachusetts was said to have voted 36% for Republican Donald Trump in 2024 for President, however, all Congresspersons elected from there are Democrats.

Has this video educated you on gerrymandering? Do you think we need to change how we draw our districts?

60 Minutes: This Wisconsin county has backed the winning presidential candidate for the last 6 elections

 

[VIDEO] Door County, Wisconsin right at the top of the eastern peninsula of the state. This county could "decide" the the next P.O.T.U.S. And Wisconsin is a battleground state.

In the 2016 election Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania made the difference and handed the 46th P.O.T.U.S. Donald Trump the White House. Those states proved pivotal for Joe Biden in 2020 where he was elected the 47th P.O.T.U.S. and he effectively flipped those states back to blue. Oh yeah let's not forget nominally these are often blue states. Perhaps Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are more purple than blue.

And also add that 2016 and 2020 the results in those elections for President were very close. Narrow margins and in 2020 certainly in Detroit, MI or Philadelphia, PA there were allegations of "voter fraud".

Regardless, whether you vote early or wait for election day next month vote. Make sure it counts, the race shouldn't just be "decided" by one county in the whole nation!