What is REDMAP?

REDMAP, or the Redistricting Majority Project, is a program created by the Republican State Leadership Committee for the sole purpose of creating congressional districts that can only be won by Republicans.  It used the 2010 census data to re-draw state legislative districts and congressional districts to favor GOP candidates and to hamper Democratic candidates.  This is why, despite the lopsided vote for Obama and Democrats in 2012, the Republicans retained control of the U.S. House and still kept its majority hold in State Legislatures and Governorships.

The idea of gerrymandering Congressional Districts isn’t new, nor is it exclusive to the Republican Party.  When Democrats have been in control in many states, they too have engaged in re-drawing congressional districts to favor themselves.  However, REDMAP appears to be taking gerrymandering to a whole new level.  There is a plan afoot to use REDMAP to re-write the rules of the Electoral College in the states where Republicans control both the legislature and the Governorship.

It’s an ingenious strategy.  First, REDMAP ensures that a majority of Congressional Districts in the states Republicans control are won by the GOP.  Second, the state legislature changes the rules of the Electoral College for the state’s allocation of delegates from winner-take-all, to proportional based on the congressional districts won by each candidate.  If a candidate wins a majority of the congressional districts, that candidate wins the 2 Senate electoral votes as well.

Using Virginia as an example, it has 13 electoral votes (11 congressional, 2 Senate).  In 2012, President Obama won Virginia and all of its electoral votes.  Under REDMAP, President Obama won Virginia but only carried 3 congressional districts (the 3 most populous districts), and therefore would only get 3 electoral votes.  Mitt Romney carried the 8 remaining districts and therefore would get 10 electoral votes (8 for the congressional districts and the 2 Senate votes).  So, instead of Obama winning 13 electoral votes, it becomes a 10-3 split between Romney and The President.  If REDMAP had been implemented across every state where Republicans controlled the legislature and the Governorship, Mitt Romney would’ve won the last election with an electoral vote of 281-257, despite losing the popular vote by over 5 million votes.

 

This is some serious stuff.  By gerrymandering legislative and congressional districts in such a way, REDMAP has essentially said it will ensure a Republican victory for President regardless of the popular vote or the will of the people.  In this instance, I think the congressional district gerrymandering has risen from a level of sleazy politics to outright election fraud.  If the people are unable to collectively choose their leadership in a non-partisan way, then the whole election system has to be overhauled.

 

I am a firm believer in Iowa’s approach to re-districting.  A non-partisan commission is created to re-draw the districts using population data only.  They don’t use any data about voter registration or party affiliation – it’s just based on population.  Thus, you get congressional districts that are roughly square or rectangular, not the amoeba-shaped districts you’ll find in other states where the process has become politicized.  I think Iowa’s way should be nationalized.

Overall, I think that REDMAP has crossed a serious line.  I am all in favor of the political parties trying to build an advantage however they can.  But a line needs to be drawn as to what is appropriate.  I think that purposefully tilting the election map in your favor even if the votes of the people are against you is a step too far.

Hopefully, people will begin to notice.