Redistricting or rigging? Experts available

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Redistricting or rigging? Experts available

Northwestern University has fantastic experts in political strategy, political science and law who can weigh in on the growing number of states pushing for mid-decade congressional redistricting. Just yesterday, Virginia Democrats announced plans to redraw congressional maps that could give their party two or three new seats. On Tuesday, North Carolina Republican lawmakers approved a new map which is expected to transfer one congressional seat to Republicans from Democrats. You'll recall these latest two states follow similar efforts in Texas, California and Missouri.

Partisan redistricting is Democratic sabotage

Erik Nisbet, professor of policy analysis and communication and director of the Center for Communication & Public Policy

"The tit-for-tat redistricting between Republicans and Democrats ahead of 2026 isn't good political strategy; it's democratic sabotage. Both parties are choosing partisan advantage over fair representation, guaranteeing more polarization, legislative gridlock and public cynicism about democracy. This is how democracies die."

Professor Nisbet can be reached at [email protected] or by contacting Stephen Lewis at [email protected]

The battle to save America's multiracial democracy

Alvin Tillery, professor of political science and director of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy

"Republican gerrymandering has distorted American democracy for more than a decade by allowing a minority of voters to hold majority power in many of the red states. These gains have been fueled by the Roberts' Court's partisan and racist agenda to overturn the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Democratic Party's decision to respond with their own partisan gerrymanders where they can is the only tool left that will give us the ability to maintain a fair electoral system for the 2026 midterms. Beyond partisan self-defense, the Democratic Party's pushback is the only way we will be able to preserve some semblance of the multiracial democracy that emerged in America in the 1950s and 1960s. Make no mistake about it, the Republicans do not want people of color to vote or have representation in Congress because they know that equal ballot access under fair maps means they lose power. So, in the long run, this redistricting arms race only stops when the Republicans get new incentives to stop cheating or we put in place a constitutional amendment changing the structure of our voting system."

Professor Tillery can be reached at [email protected] or by contacting Stephanie Kulke at [email protected]

Michael Kang, Class of 1940 Professor of LawProfessor Kang is a nationally recognized expert on voting rights and can speak to redistricting, campaign finance and judicial elections.Professor Kang can be reached at [email protected] or by contacting Shanice Harris at [email protected].