June 27, 2019 (Florence, Mass.) — This morning, the Supreme Court failed to rein in extreme partisan gerrymandering, leaving in place a corrupt system that allows voting districts to be drawn by the party in power. Election reform advocates rebuke the decision, arguing that gerrymandering corrupts the democratic system and paints an inaccurate and unrepresentative picture of the American electorate.
Josh Silver, the co-founder and director of right-left anti-corruption group RepresentUs, issued the following statement:
“Partisan gerrymandering has long been one of the greatest threats to our democracy. For decades, Democrats and Republicans alike have packed and cracked voters into districts that water down their vote and dilute their voices. The Court’s refusal to rein in partisan gerrymandering flies in the face of American self-government.
"As the last line of defense for our democracy, the Supreme Court is uniquely responsible for protecting our rights against self-serving politicians and special interests. But today, it rejected that responsibility by allowing politicians to pick and choose their voters, instead of the other way around."
“Fortunately, this decision will not dash the hopes of those who have been fighting against gerrymandering for years. When the Court fails to protect our constitutional rights, everyday citizens will take up the call.
“A massive, bipartisan grassroots movement has emerged to end this unfair practice of politicians choosing their voters, and we’ve made incredible progress. In the last year alone, voters in five states approved measures aimed at ending partisan gerrymandering, demonstrating the power that can come from dedicated citizens working together to unrig our broken political system.
“The next chapter of American self-government now lies in the hands of the American people. It is our fundamental right as voters to choose our elected leaders. yet this right continues to be scraped away by politicians on both sides of the aisle in states across the country. Grassroots work is what elevated the issue of partisan gerrymandering to our national discourse in the first place, and it's this work that will define the next chapter of our democracy.”
RepresentUs is the nation’s largest right-left anti-corruption organization, bringing voters from across the political spectrum together to fix our broken elections, stop political bribery, and end secret money practices. In 2018, the organization championed 23 state and local anti-corruption victories, including the approval of five statewide ballot measures aimed at eliminating partisan gerrymandering.
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Press Contact: Prerana Swami, Elle Communications, representus@ellecomm.com, 855.438.3553