https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/11/opinion/redistricting-gerrymandering-reform.htmlOPINION | You Can’t Judge a District Just by Looking at It
It’s hard to spot voter disenfranchisement with the naked eye.
One way to stymie partisan gerrymandering is by putting redistricting in the hands of commissions that include Democrats and Republicans. “You can pick half a dozen different parameters, and on every single one of them, you're seeing progress in states that have independent commissions,” said Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a law professor at Harvard University.
Independent commissions aren’t a panacea. In some states, legislators have
all but ignored the decisions of poorly structured panels. But when designed carefully, the commissions are a significant improvement over the status quo.
Democrats in the House have proposed mandating independent commissions in their voting rights bill, the For the People Act. But Republicans have blocked the legislation in the Senate.
“With the politicians, once they’re pursuing their self-interests, everything else goes out the window,” Mr. Stephanopoulos said.
