Warnock blames gerrymandering for partisan attitudes in House.

Sen. Warnock: Gerrymandering is a Threat to Our Democracy

“Racial and partisan gerrymandering is real in our country. We’ve seen it play out time and time again. And it’s not a problem for Democrats or a problem for Republicans — it’s a problem for our democracy,”

Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is sounding the alarm on the rise of far-right ideologies within the House of Representatives and the loss of bipartisanship in politics. According to Warnock, the root cause of these issues is “racial gerrymandering.”

Gerrymandering, Warnock argues, leads to a decrease in chances for successful compromise in Congress. “When you look at the extremism that you’re seeing played out in the House, for example, right now, that’s the result of gerrymandering. And it certainly doesn’t encourage the kind of bipartisan negotiation that’s been key to the work that I’ve been doing in the Congress,” he said at an Axios event on Wednesday.

The Georgia senator pointed to his work in the Senate on issues relating to healthcare, aviation, and gun reform laws, that have received Republican support over the years. “Much of my work is bipartisan. But when you have these gerrymandered districts, it doesn’t encourage that kind of compromise and common sense on a whole range of issues, including gun safety,” Warnock said.

Warnock added that racial gerrymandering is “real in our country,” referencing the recent Supreme Court case involving Alabama’s redistricting efforts. The high court ruled against Alabama’s congressional map, saying it discriminated against black voters under the Voting Rights Act. The ruling in Allen v. Milligan means that Alabama will have to redraw its congressional map to include a second majority-black district.

The Supreme Court ruling could affect gerrymandering in Georgia and other states, as well — a situation that should be of concern to everyone, Warnock said. “We’ve seen [gerrymandering] play out time and time again. And it’s not a problem for Democrats or a problem for Republicans — it’s a problem for our democracy,” Warnock said.

Warnock is putting much of his energy into passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, claiming that voting rights laws have “suffered over the last decade.” He pointed to his lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the state of Georgia during the December 2022 runoff election, where he faced and eventually defeated Republican Herschel Walker.

The state Supreme Court ruled in favor of Warnock and shut down Republicans’ attempts to prohibit early voting on the weekend following Thanksgiving, based on their interpretation of an old state law. “Some 90,000 Georgia voters voted that day, that weekend, which is close to the margin of my victory. So, we have to remain vigilant,” Warnock said of his fight for voting rights.

When asked if he believed the voting rights bills could be passed in President Joe Biden’s first term, Warnock expressed optimism. “I don’t see why we should see this as a partisan issue,” Warnock said. “The last time we passed a voting rights law, the year was 2006. It passed the Senate, 96 to 0. George W. Bush was the president.”

“At the end of the day, the people ought to be able to pick their representatives. Representatives should not be picking people through partisan and racial gerrymandering, and all these issues that the Supreme Court confronted as recently as a week ago,” Warnock concluded.

Key Takeaways:

• Gerrymandering leads to a decrease in chances for successful compromise in Congress.
• Racial gerrymandering is a threat to our democracy.
• The recent Supreme Court ruling on Alabama’s redistricting efforts could affect gerrymandering in Georgia and other states.
• Warnock is putting much of his energy into passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
• At the end of the day, the people ought to be able to pick their representatives.

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