Often times we get so wrapped up in the Presidential election we forget about everything else on the ballot. While the presidential election is a big deal and will affect many things… it is not the only concern for Americans.

This year, being a census year, the state leaders we elect will redraw district lines all across the country, this is called ‘redistricting’ and it only happens once every ten years. State lawmakers redraw the district lines and they have a lot of leeway in how they do it which can be problematic.

Redistricting is such a big deal because it can lead to Gerrymandering, where one political party has an unfair advantage because of how the district lines are drawn. Lawmakers are able to draw district lines in a way where democrats and republicans are separated so the state leaders in the area are constantly re-elected and in office.

Senior Katy Spilsberry says “If we want our government to have any semblance of democracy, we need to get rid of gerrymandering.”

You may be wondering “is this illegal?” “that dosent sound very democratic.”  and the answer is yes. As long as the redrawing of district lines does not involve race, it is completely legal, which means… the state representative who wins your district may very well hold power for the next century.

A great example of gerrymandering is district 9, our district, also known as “The Snake on The Lake” because it is so gerrymandered. In our district, democrat Mary Kapture has been the representative since the 80s because our districting lines are drawn in such a way where a majority of democrats are all together, ensuring her re-election.