What can we do to stop gerrymandering? It seems obvious that we need to combat gerrymandering in order to preserve our American ideals of equality and freedom. So far, states, largely through referenda and initiatives, have developed three major methods of redistricting that seek to reduce gerrymandering or otherwise control the pervasive practice. Some state use independent commissions, an example of which is California's independent redistricting commission, which is made of people who cannot be closely related to any political entities. Ohio requires both parties to agree when redistricting. New Jersey has a team of redistricters nominated by both parties, with a tiebreaker nominated by the redistricters. They must agree on a plan by a majority vote after a public discussions and meetings.
A study recently showed that the best method for redistricting generally tends to be independent commissions, which typically result in more compact districts and respect subdivisions, like counties and towns. The worst methods for redistricting tend to be the state legislatures that have traditionally made maps. As a result, we should try to support independent commissions and other methods of redistricting that move power away from state legislatures. It is important to support referenda and initiatives that aim to do so. These methods require state citizens to vote for referenda and initiatives that support ending gerrymandering. Additionally, various PACs and interest groups exist to agitate against partisan gerrymandering, one example being FairVote, which seeks to end political gerrymandering, and replace the current system with that of proportional representation. In addition the National Democratic Redistricting Committee aims to help combat gerrymandering.
Gerrymandering reform has been astoundingly successful in New Jersey. Although our state is strongly Democratic on the federal level, due to fair districts being made due to our bipartisan commission, five districts in New Jersey are considered vulnerable seats that either party could flip to their sides, a rarity in a good number of states. This has allowed our state to be "remembered" in policy discussion since neither party can take votes in our state for granted.
Despite the present benefits, there are still questions over the "independence" of these commissions. Subconscious biases and partisanship makes it difficult to assure that a map will always be "unbiased". The simplest solution to the gerrymandering problem comes back to the two principles of gerrymandering mentioned previously: the presence of precincts with different political affiliations. As Galen Druke at FiveThirtyEight notes, we have already chosen to live with people who carry our same political beliefs. As a result, we've become polarized to the extent that gerrymandering is possible. Most political polarization and "gerrymandering" can be attributed primarily to self-sorting.
It would be much easier to gerrymander the map that is split between red and blues than to do the same for the map bathed in purple. The simplest solution to gerrymandering is both the easiest solution and the hardest solution. It seems almost futile in fact, but purposefully trying to avoid self-sorting is a reasonable strategy to avoid gerrymandering. This entails making the difficult decision to live in politically-foreign places where we may feel uncomfortable. This strategy would be just as helpful as publicly supporting redistricting efforts by donating to interest groups. Luckily, coming out of college is when we can most easily try to change the course of America. By choosing to avoid the cities, where young college-educated youth tend to live, we can choose to live and work in less successful regions of America. Additionally, active membership in our communities is beneficial and reduces polarization, due to living and cooperating amongst others who may have different political views. This reduces the efficacy of gerrymandering.
Gerrymandering doesn't have a single "solution" that will work immediately and permanently. Our goal to eliminate gerrymandering begins and ends with ourselves. We must begin by disarming the mechanisms of gerrymandering, namely the presence of state legislatures in the redistricting process, which should be done by initiatives and referenda in key states like Utah. For us who don't live in a referendum state, we must instead donate to interest groups that aim to reduce gerrymandering, such as FairVote. To further reduce the risk of gerrymandering in the future, we must be active members of our community and we must live among people with different views from us, not clustering in areas that support our views.