Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Meeting the letter and spirit of the law
You may be thinking, “That's not fair!” And you may be right. But more important is the question,
“Is that legal?”
Some people say “Yes.” Clearly, every political district in Figure 14-9 complies with the letter of the
law. That is, the number of voters is the same in each district, so the constitutional concept of equal
representation has been met.
Other people, however, believe that elected officialdom should be as diverse as the represented pop-
ulation. In their view, gerrymanders violate the spirit of the law, lead to a distrust of government, and
may ultimately undermine the very fabric of American democracy.
Apractical solution,intheirview,istocreate votingdistricts drawntovirtually guarantee theelection
of members of particular ethnic groups (Figure 14-9). Opponents view this solution as blatantly un-
constitutional and say districts drawn to encourage election of particular peoples are as offensive as
lines drawn to exclude them.
Figure 14-9:
An
oddly shaped
congressional
district drawn to
encourage elec-
tion of a minority
group member to
Congress.
The courts, for their parts, have flip-flopped on the issue. Quite literally, the jury is still out. In the
meantime, passions run high among folks who feel strongly about this issue, which is as much about
geography as it is politics and law. After all, the question comes down to “Where do you draw the
line?”
