Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Redistricting reformers see strong ties between racial and partisan gerrymandering

Gerrymandering in Ohio

Protestors call for fair maps in Ohio during a day of anti-gerrymandering activity in September 2021.

Anti-gerrymandering forces hope ongoing litigation will limit the impact of partisan and racial bias in state and congressional redistricting this cycle.

Common Cause, a national organization focused on democracy reform, is partnering with groups in multiple states to fight new district maps that they identify as racial or partisan gerrymanders, often arguing that the two go hand-in-hand.

While more than 60 lawsuits have been filed in at least 22 states by various groups, Common Cause is particularly focused on litigation in North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as unusual redistricting activity in Florida.


Communities of color have been able to make their voices heard more this cycle than in the past, said Suzanne Almeida, redistricting and representation counsel for Common Cause.

“This year it’s been more coordinated, more concentrated and more focused, and because of that we’re seeing some wins we might not otherwise have seen,” she said. “Unfortunately, we’re also seeing a national trend where the redistricting cycle is weakening these voices.”

Almeida argued that legislators are making partisan decisions at the expense of community voices: “We are seeing state after state intentionally draw maps that silence communities of color at the ballot box.”

One of the places Common Cause and its legal allies have had success is North Carolina, which has a history of gerrymandering battles.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

“We have been the epicenter of bad maps, arguably,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina. But he believes it’s possible the state has turned a corner.

The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the legislative and congressional maps approved by the General Assembly violate the state Constitution’s prohibition on partisan gerrymandering. Even though the state has been narrowly divided in recent national elections, the proposed maps would deliver heavy Republican majorities in the General Assembly and the congressional delegation, likely eliminating districts where candidates of color would be expected to win.

Any new maps must include statistics to justify their nonpartisanship.

“In North Carolina, we filed litigation to make clear it is never admissible to build political power on the backs of communities of color—and the State Supreme Court agreed,” said Phillips. “The ruling is one more nail in the coffin of gerrymandering in North Carolina and a powerful reminder of what’s possible when you combine litigation with grassroots advocacy.”

The courts in Ohio have similarly sided with anti-gerrymandering forces.

On Monday, state Supreme Court rejected proposed legislative maps for the second time in 2022 for violating the Ohio Constitution, which voters amended to limit partisan gerrymandering. The court also rejected the congressional map in January.

The people in charge of redistricting ignored the new requirements around transparency, public participation, bipartisanship and representational fairness, according to Common Cause Ohio Associate Director Mia Lewis, who claimed “these rigged maps are made on the backs of people of color.”

“This showed an epic disrespect for the voters of Ohio and the Ohio Constitution,” she said. “It was really galling to see this process go so wrong.”

And in Pennsylvania, where the state is led by a Republican General Assembly and a Democratic governor, the local chapter has engaged in the redistricting process by submitting a map of its own.

“Common Cause Pennsylvania is participating in this case as an amicus to ensure that voters of color that have historically been left out or worse by the redistricting process can have their voices heard,” said Khalif Ali, executive director of the chapter. “We are continuing to seek a better way of drawing maps that put people, not politicians, in the drawing seat.”

The battle in Florida is different. Rather than suing over approved maps, Common Cause Florida and other groups are trying to prevent Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, from getting involved in the redistricting process prior to the Legislature sending him its proposal.

Opponents believe DeSantis’ proposed congressional map would reduce the influence of Black voters while increasing the number of seats held by Republicans.

“It is not normal for any court, especially a supreme court, to give an advisory opinion to someone who doesn’t even have the authority to draw maps,” said Allison Riggs, co-executive director and chief counsel of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

In all of these cases, the anti-gerrymandering advocates believe partisan gerrymandering and racial gerrymandering are being practiced simultaneously.

“Racial discrimination and partisan gerrymandering are tools that work together,” said Riggs.

Read More

The Psychology of Politics

An illustration of people and their unique minds.

Getty Images, Carol Yepes

The Psychology of Politics

Have you ever wondered why so many otherwise reasonable people are completely bananas about politics? We all know plenty of normal and decent folks who spout wacky political views. But it’s not just our neighbors who’ve gone mad. All over the country, Americans pick and choose the facts they want to believe, champion policies they don’t understand, hold contradictory views at the same time, admire immoral politicians, loathe decent ones, and so on.

What’s going on here? And why does it seem to be getting worse?

Keep ReadingShow less
Addressing Economic Inequity Among Domestic Violence Survivors

A person holding a stack of dollar bills that are flying away.

Getty Images, PM Images

Addressing Economic Inequity Among Domestic Violence Survivors

The 2024 film, “Anora,” about a young woman victimized by sex trafficking, recently won five Oscars at the Academy Awards. Perhaps, it is a signal of more awareness and less stigma surrounding the pervasiveness of domestic violence at all levels of society.

The ongoing lawsuits between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni claiming sexual harassment and violence threat allegations around their film, “It Ends With Us,” about a relationship scarred with domestic violence, demonstrates the thin line between real life and on-screen adaptations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Layoffs at the EPA May Impact Federal Funding for Communities

Environmental Protection Agency EPA | Where James works | mccready ...

Layoffs at the EPA May Impact Federal Funding for Communities

WASHINGTON—The federal government laid off more than 60,000 workers in the first two months of 2025, while another 75,000 employees accepted a buyout and voluntarily resigned.

Among those laid off was James Clark, an Environmental Protection Agency employee who lost his job while on his honeymoon. “It’s just very sad to see someone like Elon Musk take a chainsaw on live TV and say what we do doesn’t matter,” said Clark.

Keep ReadingShow less
Congress Avoids a Shutdown But at What Cost?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on March 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Tasos Katopodis

Congress Avoids a Shutdown But at What Cost?

On March 14, the GOP-led Senate passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government running until September 30. The bill’s passage was made possible by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s last-minute reversal—shifting from opposing the measure and advocating for a shorter extension to allowing the bill to advance. His decision was purely tactical: he feared Democrats would be blamed for a shutdown.

Schumer’s move provided the necessary votes to overcome procedural hurdles, effectively thwarting a Democratic filibuster. While Republican support for Trump’s budget was unsurprising, the Democratic leadership’s decision to go along was a stunning concession. It handed the Trump administration a significant victory while further eroding Congress’s budgetary authority, shifting more spending power to the executive branch.

Keep ReadingShow less