The art of gerrymandering

Politics is inherently political. That may come as a shock to some folks. Apparently so, considering all the fuss over how political districts were redrawn nationwide after the 2000 Census.

When Democrats controlled Congress and most state legislatures, they tended to redraw districts in such a way as to keep themselves in power. Today, Republicans do the exact same thing. That shouldn't surprise anyone. The same thing happened in 1811, when Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry drew a political district so oddly that it resembled a salamander. We call such things gerrymanders to this day.

But there is a distinction between politics and democracy. One is not always good for the other.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week, 5-4, that states have a right to redraw their districts more or less as they please, as long as it is for political reasons. The ruling did leave open the possibility that some state could one day botch things so royally as to force the court to step in, but that doesn't seem likely.

And yet, while political redistricting ought to be a state matter, the states themselves have a duty to look out for democracy, as well as for political power.

In the computer age, it's possible to draw political districts with extreme precision. Utah Republicans went out of their way after 2000 to draw Democrat Jim Matheson out of his congressional seat. They may yet succeed in that plan. They also guaranteed GOP dominance in the Legislature.

But in doing so, they ran the risk of alienating and discouraging potential voters to the point where they no longer see any point to participating in the process. In 2002, 99 percent of congressional incumbents who ran for re-election nationwide won. Most congressional races nationwide are not close. The party in power could run virtually anyone with a pulse and score a victory. How is that good for the republic?

Some states have experimented with non-partisan redistricting commissions that decide how to remake boundaries in light of population shifts. Such a system would be useful in Utah, where one-party dominance has led to a lack of meaningful debate and opposition. It wouldn't end Republican dominance, but it might give under-represented constituencies more of a voice.

Of course, the politicians would have to decide to set up such a thing. Don't hold your breath.