The United States of America promises its people free and fair elections; however, this very right is continually challenged by gerrymandering. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, has been studying US elections since 2002. Their most recent report based on the 2018 midterm elections is a clear call to action, as the OSCE explained: “The right to vote is subject to many limitations, with minorities disproportionately affected” (Elections, OSCE). The state of Georgia is a clear example of partisan gerrymandering. This report will address the issue of partisan gerrymandering in Georgia and propose an impartial and independent redistricting commission to promote equitable redistricting reform. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Districts should ideally be drawn to ensure that the growing and diverse population is equally represented in each state. However, Georgia is an ideal example of partisan gerrymandering and dominant protection. Under the state constitution, the state legislature is tasked with drawing the lines for the state's districts. Georgia has fourteen congressional districts, one hundred and eighty House of Representatives districts, and fifty-six Senate districts. At the time of redistricting, both houses of the state legislature were controlled by Republicans. Therefore, Republicans drew districts that favored their party. Republicans used the technique known as cracking to spread Democratic voters into new districts and minimize their potential voting power. As a result of partisan gerrymandering, the people of Georgia faced a new problem, new favorable Republican lines eliminated political competition and paved the way for gerrymandering of incumbent protection. This gave voters few options on the ballot and ensured the re-election of incumbent presidents. Examples of this during the November 2018 midterm elections include: five of Georgia's incumbent members of Congress ran unopposed, 81% of Georgia's state legislature had only one candidate from a major party in runoff elections and 56% of state legislature campaigns had ended before the primaries because only one person from each party filed to run. The first step I propose toward eliminating gerrymandering would be to introduce an independent commission made up of citizens with sole responsibility for drawing new district lines after the 2020 census. This resolution would require an amendment to the Georgia Constitution mandating redistricting legislative and congressional to be carried out by an independent and bipartisan city commission. The commission would consist of 14 members without prerogative to run for any government position, five of whom would be Democrats, five Republicans and four unaffiliated with any party. After drawing district boundaries, the commission should be dissolved and a new commission formed with different members whenever redistricting is necessary. Two-thirds of both legislative chambers would be needed for this resolution to pass. According to Atlanta News Now, many if not all Democrats are expected to support redistricting by an independent commission. They also predict that moderate Republicans 21
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