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Suzette Martinez Valladares | Stop the Redistricting Arms Race

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tuesday

A redistricting war is quietly brewing in America. Beneath the surface of headlines and national debates, a battle for political advantage is unfolding. The battle is not through votes or policy, but through manipulation of congressional maps. While politicians scramble for power and short-term gains, it’s the voters who will lose in the end.

In Texas, a court recently ordered the state to redraw its congressional districts. The Republican-controlled legislature responded with a map that could net them up to five additional seats in Congress. Then Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly orchestrated an effort to redraw our state’s maps to yield a five-seat gain for Democrats. This was despite a well-regarded, voter-approved, independent redistricting process already in place in California.

Now, more states are signaling they may follow suit in a bid to “counterbalance” what’s happening in Texas and California. The result? A tit-for-tat redistricting war, escalating and further polarizing an already divided nation.

This isn’t just a political spat. It’s an assault on representative government and an erosion of the democratic process. Redistricting is supposed to ensure that representation reflects........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal