Republicans have used gerrymandering to gain power across the country. In 2020 we can change that. Here's how we start:

Friend, Republicans have successfully used gerrymandering and voter suppression to subvert free and fair elections, undermining our very democracy. Worse, last month in a 5-4 ruling cemented by Donald Trump’s two justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, the United State Supreme Court effectively gave gerrymandering its blessing. But you want to know something really scary? Most people—indeed, most voters—don’t know that gerrymandering is happening or what it is, much less how to stop it. And don’t expect cable TV news to help solve this problem. That’s where my work at Daily Kos Elections comes in. I've been interested in gerrymandering ever since watching what went on in my native state of North Carolina after Republicans took control of the legislature in 2010. Following that fateful election, the GOP gerrymandered every level of government they could, using their inflated majorities to [ram through a reactionary makeover of state government](. With majorities they couldn't lose, Republicans slashed public education and taxes on the rich, [instituted an intentionally racist voter ID law](, and passed anti-LGBTQ legislation in 2016 so extreme that it led to [businesses boycotting the state](. At Daily Kos Elections, we report on the latest developments in redistricting and voting rights, producing analysis that shows just how powerful gerrymandering can be with real examples. In North Carolina, that's involved analyzing alternatives to the GOP's gerrymanders and following the latest developments as they've been repeatedly struck down in court. Further, since 2016, I have [published our free, weekly Daily Kos Voting Rights Roundup newsletter]( that recaps each week's news on the right to vote, redistricting, campaign finance, and electoral reform. When legislatures are in session and passing laws, litigation is ongoing in state or federal court, or when elected officials or administrators take action that affects access to the ballot box, I'm on top of it to help shine a light on how these developments impact democracy. However, this reporting, analysis, and advocacy for fairer elections takes a ton time-consuming work, and we can't do it without your help. [The Daily Kos Elections team is a vital part of the Daily Kos community, helping to bring you the latest news on how we can protect voting rights and fight gerrymandering. It's important for Daily Kos to hit our fundraising goals so that we have the support we need to do all the work we do. We have a goal to raise $69,197 by the end of July. Can you help Daily Kos by giving $5 today?]( Gerrymandering is not a small, niche issue. It’s perhaps the most powerful tool Republicans have wielded to institute their far-right, dystopian agenda. Let's take for instance the maps [shown below](. This graphic compares the actual gerrymander Republicans passed in 2011 with two hypothetical maps I drew: one Democratic gerrymander and one nonpartisan map. What's the point of this exercise? Well, some commentators have pushed the notion that gerrymandering really just doesn’t matter all that much. But as my three map comparison illustrates, that concept [is completely bunk](. The gerrymander Republicans actually drew locked in a 10-3 GOP advantage in a very evenly divided swing state, and our Democratic gerrymander would have entrenched a similar 9-4 Democratic edge that would have held up for the whole decade regardless of the political climate. This exercise shows that not only can gerrymandering have a huge impact, flipping nearly half the state's seats depending on which party is in control, but also what an alternative fairer map could look like, where each party could conceivably win a majority under the third map. There are very few people doing this type of work outside of Daily Kos. [This is a perfect example of why we do the work we do -- not just to elect more Democrats up and down the ballot, but to give clear analysis of the impact of partisan gerrymandering and spread the truth about it to our enormous audience. Help us continue our work by giving $5 today.]( Hypothetical maps like these are not just abstract curiosities. Earlier this year, one of my proposed redistricting maps [was chosen by the governor of Maryland's commission]( to redraw an actual congressional gerrymander that was under litigation. Indeed, I've spent the last several years [drawing nonpartisan congressional maps for every single state]( to [estimate the partisan and racial impacts of gerrymandering](. We look forward to publishing an extensive analysis of all of these maps in an interactive format to assess the effects of congressional gerrymandering in every state this decade, and we're hoping to bring this project to fruition sometime later this year, but there's still many hours of work left to be done. Redistricting is especially time-consuming because it’s a process that involves endless choices and tradeoffs—a single state [can have more possible map combinations]( than the number of [quarks (a subatomic particle)]( that exist in the entire universe. Drawing a map that could be presented to a court or redistricting commission like the one I did in Maryland must first start with consideration of differing ideas—for instance, do I put a certain community with District 1, or would it make more sense in District 2—and then making sure the map meets legal requirements once the general outline is clear. Daily Kos Elections conducts all of this analysis on gerrymandering in the public interest for fairer elections, and we're consequently bringing it to you for free. As the 2020 redistricting cycle approaches, we aim to continue doing top-notch redistricting analysis and working to fight gerrymandering so that elections can remain fair. [Whether it is figuring out the challenges to gerrymandering, reporting on voter suppression tactics or fighting for fair elections, Daily Kos will always be at the forefront for voting rights. Please support all our work with $5 today.]( Thank you for all you do, Stephen Wolf Elections Staff Writer, Daily Kos If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.