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Both Parties Play the Gerrymander Game With Black Voters

James Rodriguez 0 comments 3 min read
Both Parties Play the Gerrymander Game With Black Voters

Virginia's political map tells a story about how power operates in practice, and it is not a story that absolves either party of blame.

Across the state, black voters have been systematically separated and redistributed to serve partisan interests. Republicans draw lines to dilute black voting strength in competitive districts. Democrats pack black voters into safe seats, maximizing their own electoral advantage while reducing the political influence of black communities across a wider geography.

This is not a problem unique to one party or one state. The pattern repeats itself because the incentives that drive gerrymandering operate regardless of which party holds the pen. When black voters can be moved to strengthen a party's position, both Republicans and Democrats have proven willing to do exactly that.

The practical effect is the same either way. Black voters end up with fewer seats where they hold meaningful sway. A district packed with overwhelming black support looks safe for a particular candidate, but it means black voters have less voice in nearby districts that might otherwise be winnable. Dispersed black voters cannot build the concentrated electoral power that translates into representation and leverage.

Virginia's recent redistricting cycle laid this bare. The maps that emerged reflected the preferences of the parties in power, not the organic distribution of the electorate. Black communities were treated as units to be moved around the board, not as voting blocs with their own stake in fair representation.

Real reform would require both parties to accept limits on their ability to manufacture outcomes. That remains unlikely as long as the power to draw maps stays in the hands of elected officials who benefit from those same maps.

Author James Rodriguez: "Until we remove politicians from the mapmaking business entirely, black voters will keep getting played by whoever's in charge."

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