Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Attorney General Eric Holder continue to prove that redistricting reform does not need to be a partisan issue. In an editorial in the Concord Monitor supporting the Granite State’s efforts to create an independent redistricting commission the two leaders explain how the fight against gerrymandering transcends ideology and party affiliation and why it is one of the most important issues facing policy makers at the moment.
“How electoral lines are drawn may seem wonky or something only politicians and political scientists care about, but it has an enormous influence on our political system. Republicans, Democrats and people with no party affiliation are tired of our broken political system and gerrymandering only makes the situation worse,” wrote Holder and Schwarzenegger.
“When politicians represent a gerrymandered district, they are more concerned with the special interests and the extremes of their party than finding compromises that further the interests of the people. Gerrymandering is part of the reason why our politics are so polarized and our political leaders keep debating critical issues like rebuilding our infrastructure or reforming our immigration system, but nothing ever gets done.”