Gerrymandering on Steroids
Opinion By Ben Everidge for Thomas
Photo Credit: AI via Cannon & Caius USA
Mid-Decade Redistricting Threatens the American Compact…
In 2025, America is watching an old political vice become a full-blown threat to democratic legitimacy. Republican-led legislatures, Texas most prominently, are preparing to redraw congressional districts mid-decade to lock in control after the 2026 midterms. Democrats, instead of opposing this, are preparing to retaliate in states they control.
This is not a “technical adjustment.” It’s gerrymandering on steroids, and as an independent, I’m alarmed for three reasons:
It creates the perception of corruption. Voters see one party rewriting the rules midstream to keep itself in power. That corrodes trust.
It guarantees a retaliation cycle. Once Democrats regain control, they’ll have precedent to respond in kind, escalating the map wars.
It disgusts independents. America’s fastest-growing voting bloc is watching both sides bend the rules for their advantage.
Answering the Partisan Excuses
Of course, there will be thousands of excuses as to why mid-decade partisan gerrymandering is justified. Let’s deal with them now:
Republican defense: “We’re just leveling the playing field. Democrats have gerrymandered for years.”
The Independent Response: Leveling the playing field means fixing the rules for everyone, not gaming them for your side. Two wrongs don’t make a right. They make a broken system twice as bad.
Democratic defense: “We can’t unilaterally disarm while Republicans redraw maps to cement power.”
The Independent Response: When the house is on fire, you don’t light more matches; you put it out. Fighting fire with fire burns down the whole house of democracy.
Media shrug: “Both sides do it. It’s politics as usual.”
The Independent Response: When both sides are doing something wrong, it doesn’t become okay. It becomes a bigger threat. Normalizing map-rigging is a fast track to killing voter faith.
Legalistic spin: “Mid-decade redistricting is legal.”
The Independent Response: Plenty of things in history have been legal but still wrong. Democracy depends on more than the letter of the law. It depends on fair play.
Cynical dismissal: “Voters don’t care about district lines.”
The Independent Response: District lines decide who writes the laws that shape your paycheck, your taxes, and your freedoms. Ignore the map, and you’ve already lost the game.
What Jefferson and Madison Would Say
Jefferson gave Americans the Declaration to ensure the people’s voice could shape their government. Madison designed the Constitution to protect that voice from factional abuse. Both would see mid-decade map manipulation as a betrayal of the American compact.
The Stakes in 2026
If voters ignore this, mid-decade redistricting will become the norm. And once elections are decided before ballots are cast, the republic is little more than a façade.
Fixing the System
So, rather than just complaining about the problem, we offer a solution that is better suited, in our opinion, than the tired, old tit-for-tat.
Independent Redistricting Commissions in every state.
Statutory Bans on mid-decade redraws.
National Map Standards for compactness and community integrity.
Automatic Judicial Review before maps take effect.
Voting System Reforms to reduce the impact of district manipulation.
This is not a partisan issue. It’s a trust issue. In 2026, Americans must decide whether they still care enough about their democracy to defend it. If we fail, the following maps drawn might be the last ones that matter.
