Happy Thursday,
In state capitals all across the United States, mapmakers are quietly beginning the hugely consequential process of drawing the political boundaries that will be in place for the next decade.
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Using brand-new census data, these mapmakers are looking at demographics but also years of past election results as they draw their districts. Aided by sophisticated mapping software, they can craft districts that virtually guarantee particular election outcomes for years to come. It’s a huge boon for Republicans, who control the redistricting process in many states this year. At the same time, there’s increasing awareness of how this kind of map rigging, called gerrymandering, undermines the principle of free and fair elections.
David Daley, a journalist who has written extensively on gerrymandering, has warned that advances in technology enabled unprecedented levels of manipulation in the last redistricting cycle. “The…