Voting/Elections

The Ohio Supreme Court provided a win for anti-gerrymandering on Tuesday, when it rejected a congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers. Ohio legislators now have 30 days to provide an acceptable map. If they fail to do so, the Ohio Redistricting Commission will be charged with this task. 

The Census Bureau announced last week that their estimates of each state’s population had errors, resulting in six states with undercounts and eight states with overcounts. This may shock, or at the very least, disturb some people, who believe that the process of tabulating the nation’s population should be precise and accurate.

In every representative democracy, free and fair elections in which voters choose their representatives is the foundation of democratic health. This ensures every citizen has equal representation and access to the political process, while each individual’s vote is weighed the same.

2022 FEB 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Risk Management have been published. According to news reporting from Towson, Maryland, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Since the reports of Russian interference in the 2016 United States General Election, the security of voting processes has received increased attention from both state and federal authorities. The declaration by the US Department of Homeland Security in January 2017 that election systems be classified as the 17th component of critical infrastructure is just the beginning of a need for more secure voting processes.”

Jacksonville City Council members used race as a decisive factor in drawing new district lines — but did so without ever determining their actions were necessary to protect Black voters, potentially violating the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, experts warn.

We are fast approaching the end of congressional map redrawing season in anticipation of the 2022 midterm elections. With 435 House seats up for grabs, the maps being drawn and enacted into law will be used for five election cycles. Partisan gerrymandering of such maps has been the order of the day. What is becoming apparent is that the casualty for such gerrymandering are competitive districts. 

Late last week, a judge in Wisconsin ruled that absentee-ballot drop boxes could no longer be used in the state, writing that state law only allows for absentee ballots to be returned in-person or mailed back for counting.

A new study has concluded that the increase of mail-in voting during the last election due to the COVID-19 pandemic did not result a bigger risk of the results being disputed.

The Voting Rights Act is a key piece of legislation meant to ensure that underrepresented groups gain representation in Congress. In 2015, there were 122 majority-minority congressional districts, ensuring that minorities have a voice in our political process. However, partisan redistricting commissions can use the creation of majority-minority districts to facilitate gerrymandering. As such, what is gained by the act in minority representation may also lead to a weakening of democracy for all. Moreover, both parties are guilty of such exploitation for seats in the House of Representatives. 

Gerrymandering season has begun, as state legislative and independent commissions begin the process of drawing new state house and senate districts, as well as new congressional districts. Politicians seeking reelection have a stake in the process, since winning or losing may depend on how districts in their state are drawn. Democrats in states like Illinois and New York drive the gerrymandering wagon, while Republicans in states like Florida and Texas handle the reins. States with independent commissions enjoy the benefits of a bipartisan process, although governors hold veto power in numerous states to override such efforts.