Gerrymandering is Alive and Well

Elbridge Gerry, one of our lesser-known founding fathers, signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation but refused to sign the original Constitution because it didn’t contain a Bill of Rights. Later, he helped author the Bill of Rights Amendments which became a part of our Constitution. In other words, Elbridge Gerry was a man who stood for principle.

However, what Gerry is most known for today (other than the Town of Gerry which is named after him) is his involvement in drawing a legislative district in the shape of a salamander while Governor of Massachusetts in order to protect his own political party. Thus, alas, he has gone down in American history as the author and originator of “gerrymandering.”

Gerrymandering is the process, now well-perfected across all the States in our Union, where the parties in power draw election districts to benefit themselves. It has recently happened throughout the Republican-controlled South, including Texas and Alabama, and the Democrats just did it in New York. Welcome to “Politics 101” in America!

When I was in Albany, the Republican Party controlled the state Senate. So, when redistricting was passed, Republicans always drew districts giving themselves the best chance at retaining a majority in the state Senate. Now, that they are in the minority, they are screaming that the Democrats are doing the same thing. It is hard to feel sorry for them–though saying that is not meant to justify the process of gerrymandering.

This year, a special bipartisan commission, created to recommend new districts in New York, couldn’t agree on the maps for redistricting and so it submitted two sets of maps to the legislature– which were then voted down overwhelmingly by legislators from both political parties. When those maps were rejected, by law, the job of redistricting went back to the state legislature.

Last week, the legislature acted, passed and the governor signed into law new state and federal election district lines and–guess what? The districts favor the party in power in New York–the Democrats.

However, what it did for us in the Southern Tier, is create a district in which no Democrat really has a chance of winning. The new Southern Tier Congressional District will now stretch from the shores of Lake Erie almost to Utica–a distance of 250 miles. Not only that, but the leading candidate for the Republicans doesn’t even live in the District. She resides near Oneida Lake and currently represents a Congressional District up in that area of the State. Her name is Claudia Tenney.

 

Tenney, has announced that if the new Congressional District lines (now subject to a Republican lawsuit) remain the same–that she will run and, if elected, move into the new Southern Tier District. She is probably unstoppable, since she already has raised over $1 million dollars for her re-election which she can spend in whatever District she decides to run in.

This new Congressional District may not look like a “salamander,” but it certainly deserves all the aspersion associated with the term “gerrymandering.”  

This new Congressional District we are in may not look like a “salamander,” but it certainly deserves all of the aspersion associated with the term “gerrymandering.” Especially, if you are Democrat living here–forget about it. The chances of electing a Democrat in this new Southern Tier District are slim to none.


Rolland Kidder