The Value of Democracy

In the fifth and penultimate episode of The Consent of the Governed, “The Value of Democracy,” host Carter Hanson discusses the 2011 battle between the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission and the Republican-controlled Arizona state government, and the future of independent redistricting commissions as a solution for partisan gerrymandering.

From the episode: “Gerrymandering is a truly nonpartisan institution, meaning that the majority party, regardless of its ideology, nearly always tries to protect it. It is the quintessence of the refrain that power acts upon the powerful: it transforms the majority party into the gerrymandering party. Therefore, if there is to be a resolution to partisan gerrymandering, it must exist outside of the world of partisan politics.”

The Consent of the Governed is hosted, produced, and written by Carter Hanson, from his homes in Boulder, Colorado, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Consent of the Governed is the main expression of my Kolbe Fellowship project. The Kolbe Fellowship program is a ten-week research fellowship for social sciences and humanities students at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Consent of the Governed’s theme music was written by Natalie Dolan and James Lamb. Thanks to Professor Beth Campbell Hetrick, who is the faculty advisor for this project. You can find us on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and Medium.