Gerrymandering is bad

I just emailed the following message regarding Utah's anti-gerrymandering law, Proposition 4, to my state representatives and to Governor Cox. Utah residents can find their representatives via this tool, and you can submit comments to the Governor on this page. There is a rally tomorrow, December 9th, at the state capitol building in SLC.

Subject: I support Prop 4

Hi [name],

I'm one of your constituents in [city] ([address]). In the special legislative session tomorrow [Dec 9th] and in general, please oppose any efforts that would overturn or weaken Prop 4.

I've been following the redistricting issue, and I support Prop 4 and the court's decision to adopt a map that actually complies with it. Of course it would have been better if the legislature had obeyed the law and produced a map in compliance with Prop 4 to begin with, and that's what I hope they'll do in the future. I disagree with the argument that the Supreme Court should have ruled that Prop 4 is unconstitutional, and given that, I also disagree with the argument that Judge Gibson overstepped her authority by selecting a map from the plaintiffs: Prop 4 has to be enforced somehow; to not enforce it would be unconstitutional.

Increasing polarization is a big issue throughout the country. It's important for both political parties to find ways to de-escalate instead of using whatever methods necessary to hold on to power ("constitutional hardball"). In Utah, of those who are registered as Republicans or Democrats, about 20% are Democrat. In the last Utah gubernatorial election, 28% of voters chose the Democrat candidate. It's fair for 1 out of 4 congressional districts in Utah to be Democrat-leaning.

I'll be attending the League of Women Voters' rally tomorrow at the state capitol building--see you there.

Jacob O'Bryant