Gerrymandering In American Democracy

Many refer to the United States as a democracy. In fact, as John Winthrop describes America as the “city upon a hill,” people believe that in the land of opportunities, each and every person deserves a voice to be heard for equal representation. Therefore, the American political system is thought to be governed by the majority or mass where the power is vested in the people, either directly or through chosen representatives. However, in this system of “majority-over-man,” the United States is, in fact, a great distance from being or even becoming a democracy. With the true intentions of the founding fathers, the practice of gerrymandering, and with the United States mirroring principles of an oligarchy, these inconsistencies of American politics

This idea can be seen through the act of gerrymandering, the process in which legislative districts are purposely manipulated to favor one political party or interest group. As ancient as democracy itself, the term gerrymandering was coined for Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts in 1812, who was the first to alter state districts in favor of his own party. A case still prevalent today, boundaries of each electoral district is redrawn following the census of every decade due to population changes and state representatives. When mapped out, gerrymandering can cause some odd congressional districts to be formed. This can be done by stretching and crossing through certain boundaries or by including or excluding specific ethnic or racial groups. Nevertheless, gerrymandering manipulates democracy, even undermining the fundamental of “one person- one vote.” By using such tactics as packing and cracking, the practice reduces the voices of citizens for their ideal representation while the safety of seats increases. Therefore, gerrymandering ensures pre-determined results regardless of voting turnouts. Taking the Texas gerrymander in 2003 for instance, the manipulated lines engineered by Tom DeLay were done so to place Congressional delegations in the Republican’s favor. By using outdated population

Based on research performed in Princeton and Northwestern University, many political scientists believe that the power of the American government is vested in the economic elite. In fact, most political outcomes favor the preferences of the wealthy and elite while the lower classes “appear to have little or no independent impact on policy” (Gilens, Page). This can be due to the ever-widening gap of the population’s economic stability and income where the “wealthiest 160,000 million families own as much wealth as the poorest 145 million families” in the U.S (Matthews). These economic elites include various interest groups, large corporations and companies, and the affluent that influence the government through a process known as lobbying. Wall Street, an industry well known for its wealth and power, has spent over $3.2 million on federal lobbies and campaign contributions since 2009, thus a great influence in Washington. Such major corporations spend mass amounts only to secure their political control of the government where they are capable of swaying decisions for their own benefit. In addition, true democratic government ensures citizen participation where the power rests on the will of the people. However, instead of performing what is best