This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
How do you solve a problem like gerrymandering? The Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers, think they have a start.
Members of the caucus unveiled four pieces of legislation to prevent gerrymandering and the mid-decade redistricting. The proposals come after a redistricting war broke out this cycle, egged on by President Donald Trump, to give Republicans an edge in the fight to keep control of Congress.
Colorado Rep. Jeff Hurd was the Republican co-chair leading the effort with Hawaii Democratic Rep. Ed Case.
They introduced the Transparent Redistricting Under Stable Timelines (TRUST) Act, which would legally limit redistricting to every 10 years when the new census is done.
“Censuses happen once every 10 years. Drawing districts should follow the same exact principle,” said Hurd, adding that voters should have certainty and not have to wonder if their district will change after the next election.
“It’s wrong for politicians to be redrawing boundaries in districts halfway through the decade,” he said.
Another bill would create standards for drawing congressional maps. The MAP Act, led by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA), would require congressional districts to have equal populations, be contiguous, be reasonably compact, and respect communities of interest and existing political boundaries.
The group also looked at legal challenges that often come up during redistricting and developed the Nonpartisan Congressional Uniformity and Oversight of Redistricting Trials Act. The bill, led by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) and Rep. Case, would require federal courts to hear congressional redistricting challenges and rule on an expedited basis.
Lastly, the group is pushing a bill led by caucus co-chair Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) that would mandate states conduct redistricting through independent commissions. Colorado was one of a handful of states to use an independent commission to redraw lines after the 2020 census.
Fitzpatrick said there are forces that are corrosive to democracy, and gerrymandering is one of them.
“This is a problem that both parties are guilty of. It's a power issue,” he said. “Every party that has the opportunity to do it has capitalized on it, and there needs to be a group of individuals and patriotic Americans that say no more.”
Supporters of the bills acknowledged it will be a challenge to get them passed, noting the results of the redistricting wars have rubbed salt in some wounds.
The House calendar will also not help. Republican leaders canceled the last two weeks of votes in September and will send members home Thursday. The chamber will not be back until Nov. 9.
In Colorado, a Democratic-aligned group was unable to get a measure onto the ballot to allow mid-decade redistricting, while a Republican-aligned group’s countermeasure did make it onto this fall’s ballot.
That proposed constitutional amendment in Colorado would include requirements like approval from the state’s redistricting commission and supreme court. It would also prohibit maps from dividing communities or purposefully favoring one party.
