This Arizona map affects the power of your vote, and these people drew the lines
Political redistricting could be the most important story in America no one cares about.
But paying close attention as the process unfolds is essential.
Gerrymandering in congressional and legislative maps has turned into a science. In Wisconsin in 2018, for example, Democrats won 53% of the vote and got 36% of the seats in the statehouse for it.
Massachusetts, the state where gerrymandering originated, is similar in population to Arizona. About 10% of its registered voters there are Republicans and 60% are independent, yet all nine of its House members and both of its senators are Democrats.
Arizona stands as one of 13 states with an independent redistricting commission intended to bring a measure of fairness and competition to our politics.
How is Arizona doing on that front?
In this episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl of The Arizona Republic sit down with the three people who headed the commissions that drew the maps used in Arizona. Steve Lynn led the commission that drew the maps used beginning in 2004. Colleen Mathis led the group that drew the maps used beginning in 2012. And Erika Neuberg led the commission that drew the maps used beginning in 2022.
Listen to the episode
The best way to listen is to subscribe to The Gaggle on your favorite podcast app, but you also can stream the full episode below.
Read the episode transcript here. Please note, there might be slight discrepancies due to the AI used to transcribe the conversation.
Questions welcome
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Contact the producers at kaely.monahan@arizonarepublic.com and aluberto@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter @KaelyMonahan and @amandaluberto.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gaggle podcast: How these electoral maps affect your vote in Arizona
