Michael J. Pitts (Indiana): What Has 25 Years of Racial Gerrymandering Doctrine Achieved? Edward B. Foley (OSU): Judicial Review of Partisan Gerrymanders. Can the U.S. Supreme Court stop gerrymandering? Waves of redistricting have allowed politicians to select their own voters, consolidating one-party power across America — mostly among the GOP. How the Republicans rigged Congress: Insider documents unveil Republicans’ years-long scheme to gerrymander America and undermine democracy. Five myths about gerrymandering: No, GOP dominance isn’t just about “geography”. New report details just how rigged the midterms are in favor of Republicans. Democrats would need to trounce Republicans to overcome gerrymandering and take the House.
Adventures in extreme gerrymandering: See the fair and wildly unfair maps we made for Pennsylvania. Sam Wang and Brian Remlinger on how to spot an unconstitutionally partisan gerrymander, explained. The debate over gerrymandering is fundamentally changing. You can download Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy by Erik J. Engstrom (2013).
Clear and present danger to U.S. vote: We are not doing enough to shore up states’ vulnerable voting technology. Kim Zetter on the myth of the hacker-proof voting machine. Sue Halpern on our hackable democracy. Artificial intelligence could supercharge hacking and election meddling, study warns.
Get ready for more voter suppression: This year, at least 20 states are considering laws that would make it harder to vote. Voter suppression may be the most important issue of 2018. No, Republicans haven’t “always” supported voting rights until now — this is the real story. Rebecca Solnit on how 20 million missing people could save America. All of a sudden, voting rights are expanding across the country. The battle for voting rights is never over.
David Fontana (George Washington): The Geography of Campaign Finance Law. Anthony J. Gaughan (Drake): Illiberal Democracy: The Toxic Mix of Fake News, Hyperpolarization, and Partisan Election Administration. How the GOP rigs elections: With a combination of gerrymandering, voter-ID laws and dark money, Republicans have tipped the political scales in their favor — will it be enough to keep Democrats from claiming victory in 2018? Republicans rigged our democracy — here’s how Democrats can fight back.
