How gerrymandering became a blood sport

Fights over Congressional maps never used to be this intense. On Tuesday, Texas Republicans voted to issue civil arrest warrants for Democrats who fled the state.

The GOP is trying to redraw house districts, and the proposed new map could give Republicans as many as five more House seats. That change could easily decide control of Congress.

This fight is rippling out to other states too with President Trump urging Republicans to follow the lead of Texas. And Democratic governors saying they might follow the same path.

Trump can be this transparent because there are no federal restrictions on redrawing districts for purely partisan gain. The Supreme Court said so in 2019.

Gerrymandering has been part of U.S. politics for hundreds of years. How did it become a bloodsport?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy