The Impact of Gerrymandering on Democracy and Elections

Introduction

Gerrymandering is one of the integral parts of representative democracies as it implies working with voters. Thus, the current political system of the USA implies using elections to create Congress and its Chambers and committees that will be responsible for the legislation (Harvard Online, 2021). However, gerrymandering means that politicians acquire the opportunity to choose their voters. It helps to achieve the wasted vote effect and decreases the support of a particular candidate.

Main Body

However, critics of gerrymandering consider it an undemocratic tool that undermines the basis of the US election system and ideas of democracy. For instance, using this tool can have a significant impact on the balance of power in Congress. Instead of fair and open votes, this scheme allows for the manipulation of votes and the corrupting of the results of the elections to attain a more advantageous position. In such a way, gerrymandering directly threatens democracy and fair elections.

For this reason, gerrymandering should be controlled and stopped to ensure that a transparent system is created. The establishment of the citizen non-partisan commissions might be a solution to the issue as it will help to build more democratic legislative districts. However, it is essential to consider how each state organizes its government and ensure that the power is on voters (Denniston, 2015). Otherwise, there is a risk of further deterioration of the situation and acquisition of unfair outcomes.

Conclusion

Altogether, gerrymandering can be considered an undemocratic practice that should be controlled and prohibited. The idea of choosing voters contradicts the concept of democracy and transparent, open, and clear elections. For this reason, establishing committees consisting of objective and non-partisan citizens will contribute to the improvement of the situation and reduction of the adverse effects caused by the practice on Congress and the political environment within the state.

References

Denniston, L. (2015). Opinion analysis: A cure for partisan gerrymandering? SCOTUSblog. Web.

Harvard Online. (2021). Congress and constituency [Video]. YouTube. Web.

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DemoEssays. (2024, December 17). The Impact of Gerrymandering on Democracy and Elections. https://demoessays.com/the-impact-of-gerrymandering-on-democracy-and-elections/

Work Cited

"The Impact of Gerrymandering on Democracy and Elections." DemoEssays, 17 Dec. 2024, demoessays.com/the-impact-of-gerrymandering-on-democracy-and-elections/.

References

DemoEssays. (2024) 'The Impact of Gerrymandering on Democracy and Elections'. 17 December.

References

DemoEssays. 2024. "The Impact of Gerrymandering on Democracy and Elections." December 17, 2024. https://demoessays.com/the-impact-of-gerrymandering-on-democracy-and-elections/.

1. DemoEssays. "The Impact of Gerrymandering on Democracy and Elections." December 17, 2024. https://demoessays.com/the-impact-of-gerrymandering-on-democracy-and-elections/.


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DemoEssays. "The Impact of Gerrymandering on Democracy and Elections." December 17, 2024. https://demoessays.com/the-impact-of-gerrymandering-on-democracy-and-elections/.