The Supreme Court has apparently decided that the Voting Rights Act needed a little bit of "light remodeling," much like a homeowner who decides a load-bearing wall is actually just a suggestion. In this latest episode of Political Extreme Home Makeover, the justices have weakened a key tool used to prevent racial discrimination in redistricting. It turns out that those pesky rules designed to keep things fair were really just getting in the way of some very creative map-drawing. It is basically the legal equivalent of telling a professional chef they have to cook a five-course meal using only a plastic spork and a dream.
Now that the door is officially kicked open, politicians across the country are dusting off their giant Sharpies and preparing for the ultimate game of Connect-the-Dots. Except in this version, the dots are voters, and the goal is to make sure the final picture looks exactly like a gerrymandered squiggle that vaguely resembles a squashed squirrel. With the Supreme Court effectively saying "go nuts," we can expect congressional districts to start looking less like geographic regions and more like Rorschach inkblots designed by someone who has had way too much caffeine and a very specific political agenda.
Scripps News highlights that while this might look like a simple procedural tweak, it is actually a massive shift that could change the face of elections nationwide. It is a bold strategy to ensure that instead of voters picking their politicians, the politicians get to hand-pick their voters like they are choosing the best apples at a grocery store. If you have ever wanted your neighborhood to be part of a district that includes a small patch of grass three counties over, you are in luck. Democracy is getting a makeover, and it is going to be one wild, zig-zagging ride for everyone involved.
