As it becomes increasingly likely Indiana Republican lawmakers will make a new congressional district map, several listeners have asked how one party redraws districts to benefit them politically.
Kareem Crayton is the vice president of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Washington, D.C. office. He said gerrymandering is when lawmakers who draw representative districts — whether for state House and Senate seats or seats in the U.S. House of Representatives — artificially enhance their power by grouping voters together in selective ways.
“You distribute them in a manner that assures that, regardless of whether or not the public supports your party overall in the state, you’re grouped in a way that keeps your preferred candidates, from your party, in power,” Crayton said.
Crayton said technology has made that easier. Map drawers can now access more than just voter information — they can use detailed consumer data.
“There are whole industries intent to predict how you’re going to make a decision — whether it’s buying a product on the market in the grocery store or choosing a candidate — based on that array of preferences,” Crayton said.
READ MORE: Redistricting 101: Who draws Indiana’s legislative district maps, and how
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And Crayton said mapmakers then use that data to predict voter behavior.
“It can give you a pretty good indicator — for the people who are skilled at the craft — of betting on, over a five to 10 year period, what their likelihood of changing their minds is over time, whether they will stick to one party solidly, whether they even turn out to cast a ballot,” Crayton said.
Gerrymandering is often described as politicians choosing their voters, rather than voters choosing their elected leaders. And Crayton said when that happens, voters often have fewer choices at the ballot box and can feel less represented in government.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.