r/politics • u/ufosloth • 10h ago
Gov. Moore says he is looking into redistricting Maryland: ‘All options are on the table’
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5468167-maryland-governor-redistricting-options/1.1k
u/BigGrooveBox 10h ago
We need every blue state to secure an unbreakable majority. Stone wall them to death, they will do it to us whether we fight back or not.
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u/VanceKelley Washington 9h ago
If 60% of Americans would turn out at election time to support democracy and the rule of law, then the third of Americans who want fascism would be crushed at the polls, regardless of gerrymandering.
Anyone have any hope that we can get a majority of Americans to support democracy and the rule of law in the near future?
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u/Mundane_Rabbit7751 9h ago
64% of eligible voters turned out in the last election. So the majority do turn out to vote.
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u/VanceKelley Washington 9h ago
It's not just about getting a majority of people to vote, it's about getting a solid majority of people to vote against fascism and not for fascism.
Right now in America about half the people that do vote vote for fascism, and that's a huge problem that needs to be fixed.
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u/The_Confirminator 2h ago
Especially considering the design of the constitution and it's reliance on checks and balances which assumed competition between branches and levels of government would be stronger than partisan loyalty.
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u/Riaayo 1h ago
It's not just about getting a majority of people to vote, it's about getting a solid majority of people to vote against fascism and not for fascism.
I actually disagree. It's about getting a majority of people to turn out for something better.
"Not fascism" has proven itself to be a failed strategy two out of three of the last presidential elections. If Democrats do not actually stand for something, voters are not going to show up. "Democracy" is nebulous to voters. It doesn't mean anything. It's this loosely defined ideal in their minds and they generally do not feel some "duty" to preserve it. You're further fucked when the best Dems can do is "We're not Trump, save democracy, and also have you heard about us repackaging trickle down as "abundance"?"
I'm not saying Dems shouldn't run against the fascism, but they have to actually tie it to the failures of Republicans to address the real shit that people are suffering, and then offer actual fucking alternatives for people to turn out in support of.
They don't do this, and they lose. And all of this is potentially entirely moot because who even believes we're going to have genuine fair elections in this country anymore?
Which isn't to say don't vote; still show up, make it hard for them to steal it. But I think it's naive we're acting like the fucking fascist who tried to stage a coup the last time he lost power is somehow going to just let that happen again.
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u/count023 Australia 9h ago
and 36% descided they were weren't that worried about trump to vote to stop him. A non vote is a vote for the worst possible outcome, every time. So they did vote in th end.
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u/NarfledGarthak 6h ago
Voting is made as difficult as possible in some cases. It’s not just apathy in all cases. Turnout could be a lot better but the system is designed to discourage turnout.
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u/DistractedPhoenix 8h ago
That’s not true. Many were denied the chance to vote via fuckery and voter suppression
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u/Ohrwurm89 5h ago
Even when that wasn’t really the case, turnout was still pretty bad. A lot of my fellow Americans are apathetic about voting. For example, a significant number of people in swing states didn’t vote in 2016 because “Clinton was going to win”.
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u/DistractedPhoenix 5h ago
I hate to break it to you but republicans have engaging in voter suppression for decades
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u/Ohrwurm89 4h ago
I'm well aware of voter suppression, but voter turnout has only been above 60% five times in the last 50 years. And until 2020, minorities didn't make up 40% of the population, so voter suppression doesn't fully explain the habitual low voter turnout.
In the 1996 election, less than 50% of the eligible electorate voted. In the 80s, the white population accounted for nearly 80% of the entire population, but only 55% of the eligible electorate voted, so a lot of people who weren't affected by voter suppression didn't bother voting. This is a common theme.
My fellow Americans are very fucking lazy, especially when it comes to politics and voting.
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u/Riaayo 1h ago
Is that the fault of the voters or the Democratic party for running shit candidates nobody wants to vote for?
Because to me, if a candidate loses it's their fault. They're not owed anyone's votes to put their ass in power any more than someone is owed selling a product. You have to offer something people want.
Dems keep serving up far-right corporate stooges and then blame the voters they pacify and tell to fuck off when they lose. Because when these clowns blow it, suddenly the world is some perfect place where every voted has complete information, is informed, and is entirely capable of casting their vote with no problems - so when someone doesn't they're a lazy failure.
But progressives ask for policy every other developed country has and suddenly it's "be reasonable, that's pie in the sky" nonsense dismissal.
Lets be real here: Fascism is here because the Democrats have utterly failed. Republicans would never have been able to usher this in if Dems were an actual working class party running popular candidates on popular policy while not running from their own shadows and apologizing for not being Republicans.
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u/Trashman56 8h ago
“Gaza has spoken!”
Turns out Gaza said “Let’s put immigrant families in Alligator Auschwitz, deport children (even American citizens), invade American cities, cut cancer research funding…” so on and so forth.
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u/blxckhoodie999 8h ago
this cannot be correct.. may i have a source for that?
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u/Mundane_Rabbit7751 8h ago
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u/blxckhoodie999 8h ago
i misread the very first comment. i thought they said “if 60% of voters” turned out” but they said americans. then i misread yours and thought you said “64% of americans”… sorry, am apparently blind.
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u/GoodUserNameToday 8h ago
Did Not Vote would have won if it was a candidate last election. Millions of Biden 2020 voters stayed home in 2024. It’s their fault.
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u/Xurbax 9h ago
The remaining 1/3? Nope, no hope whatsoever.
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u/AssGagger 7h ago
I think we're forgetting about all the votes that are suppressed, especially in the south. 4 hour plus lines at the polls. Complicated registration. Disenfranchisement for bullshit conviction. Not to mention many of these people have to work two jobs. Even when the Democrats get in power, nothing seems to change. And you'd have to be really plugged in to know why. Most don't have the time. If every state had mail in voting, the USA would be like Sweden. That's why the Republicans fight it tooth and nail.
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u/zxc999 6h ago
As a Canadian who lived in the US I genuinely can’t fault non-voters that much considering how Byzantine the process is. I’ve voted in every election ever here and I probably would’ve missed a few if we didn’t have same day registration, if the polling station wasn’t a few minute walk away, and if took me longer than 10 minutes. If I was waiting in line for an hour I’d probably start wondering how much I care about this candidate anyways.
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u/KellyCTargaryen 3h ago
No, you should. This is still a first world country, and the people who stood to lose the most may have had the most barriers placed before them to vote, but that’s exactly why they should have persevered and cast their ballot. Unfortunately I think the majority that could have voted with relative ease did not vote for selfish and ignorant reasons.
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u/nzernozer 3h ago
Polling indicates that non-voters also favored Trump last election, so at least in that particular case it wouldn't have mattered.
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u/VanceKelley Washington 2h ago
Is there any way to get a person who currently supports fascism (or is indifferent towards it) to realize that fascism is bad and show up at election time to vote against it?
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u/Practical-Ball1437 6h ago
If 60% of Americans would turn out at election time to support democracy
Ok, what if 30% don't want democracy and another 30% don't give a shit?
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u/VanceKelley Washington 5h ago
In 2024, 32% voted for fascism, 31% voted against fascism, and 37% didn't give a shit.
So America got fascism.
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u/food-dood 4h ago
Sure, but what makes you think if the people who don't normally care about politics will turn out blue?
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u/VanceKelley Washington 3h ago
The question that I ponder is whether there was any possibility to educate the people who don't support democracy to get most of them to realize that fascism is bad.
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u/RJ5R 8h ago
This needs to be pinned at the top
Nothing needs to be held back at this point
If Democrats don't win the mid terms, there will never be a fair and free election ever again in this nation
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u/AwkwardFiasco 4h ago edited 3h ago
A comment actively encouraging gerrymandering needs to be pinned? If anything it should be removed along with yours for encouraging it.
Edit: I don't know why this needs to be explained but you can't protect democracy by actively encouraging others to subvert it.
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u/RedFrostraven 3h ago
This is the US' closest thing to the 1932 elections in Germany, in their history.
The GOP has a criminal president who attempted a coup between 2020 and 2021, who pardons insurrectionists that attempted to help him from a group designated a terrorist organization in Canada
A head of a party that just has gerrymandered Texas for 5 additional seats to ensure their majority in the midterm elections.
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u/reftheloop 2h ago
The person you reply to is a conservative lol. Of course they don't want democrats to gerrymander.
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u/SurroundTiny 10h ago
Unfortunately the red states gave more opportunities I think.
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u/lalabera 10h ago
They’re already gerrymandered to the max.
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u/SurroundTiny 10h ago
So are Maryland and Illinois but that doesn't mean they won't try to get another seat out. So could places like ZKS, IA, Nebraska, MO, and MS if they are inclined. South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, etc
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u/lalabera 10h ago
Didn’t every swing state still get a democratic governor in 2024? Risky game the gop is playing.
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u/SinisterCroissant 9h ago
Especially as it means weakening solid red districts in the hope the normal folks turn out.
I could easily see them overplaying their hand, for instance in Texas, now that Hispanics are realizing Stephen Miller doesn’t believe there are any good ones…. So they’re all at risk regardless of immigrant or US born.
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u/EEcav 9h ago
I doubt any but the top 2% of independent voters know who Stephen Miller is sadly.
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u/SinisterCroissant 8h ago edited 4h ago
No, he’s behind the veil influencing the front man Trump. And EVERY republican in the house and senate is afraid of pushing back on him.
So the electorate will blame the Republican faction as a whole. Which is why Miller is, in an odd way, ideal in provoking the regime’s end.
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u/PennCycle_Mpls 8h ago
Blue states do not have the numbers to carve up like the GOP does.
The Dems didn't gerrymander to the same staggering levels that the GOP did over the years. It's been a slow constant slog since the late 90's and over that time period people (democrats) have moved back to urban centers, and rural areas that once had a whole lot of solid enough union votes had those jobs shipped overseas (Thanks NAFTA) this turning rural America solidly red rather than purple.
Add in the state government trifecta D vs R. The Democrats don't have the math.
I was originally in favor of Dems going scorched earth up until I was informed of this math problem.
The Dems are actually playing it smart (for once in my life) keeping it tit for tat, forcing the opposition to make the next move, and hopefully a forced error eventually.
This tactic has an advantage as well. It shows them actually fucking doing something, which should spur turnout and should improve their honestly horrendous approval numbers for what really should be a guarantee in these midterms.
Another potential advantage, he's super likely to croak quite soon. He's said as much at the Whitehouse the other day. Literally telling reporter's he's not doing well health wise and worrying about getting into heaven. This GOP will crash into backstabbing and be utterly debased when it happens. Unfortunately, no telling when it'll happen.
And none of this alone will be enough. You need to get out there and door knock for progressives and leftist. Establishment Dems cannot be counted on. You've watched them fumble for a decade now. You're literally watching them refuse to endorse progressives who've won the nomination and in Cuomo's case, kissing the ring to Trump.🫵✊
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u/sadimwillredeem 7h ago
A lot of red states are already gerrymandered to hell, a lot of them are actually purple and getting worse every time they do something that contradicts what a lot of americans remember, which is that a census is only done once per decade. Anything outside of that is obviously political and that seems to be pissing off a lot of people.
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u/returnFutureVoid 7h ago
Can blue state national guards start policing shit hold red state cities? Can Illinois send NG to St Louis? I realize this is how the civil war starts but I want these idiots to see how dumb they are. They won’t but something needs to be done.
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u/PreparationAdvanced9 10h ago
Bare minimum shit all blue governors need to do asap
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u/Basileus_Maurikios 9h ago
PA can't do crap. Its got a State Senate controlled by the boss Karen.
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u/PreparationAdvanced9 9h ago
Willing to show dem voters/independents you are at war is worth the propaganda imo
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u/Oleg101 9h ago
A lot of them can’t based on not having a trifecta. New York can but not until 2028 based on their constitution. Illinois can in 2026 but they’re already pretty gerrymandered, they probably can just get one or two more blue districts but I am for that should they choose to.
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u/thrawtes 9h ago
Worth noting that California is also constitutionally prohibited. They're just planning to ask them voters to amend the Constitution immediately.
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u/grrgrrtigergrr Illinois 9h ago
We’re also preparing for our turn in the Trump invasion cycle in Illinois right now
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u/YoungestDonkey 10h ago
With 8 districts, only 1 of them held by a Republican, it's a small step. But every single step counts during the present crisis. And it is a crisis.
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u/OpenThePlugBag 5h ago
Yeah so, everyone should also know that this has the REAL potential to turn into a fucking disaster when you start over fitting your districts...
If Party A has 60% of the statewide vote but packs 90% of its voters into a few districts, Party B could win more of the remaining districts with just 51–55% of the vote.
- Before: Party A has 60% of the vote statewide and 5 districts. They win 3 comfortably.
- After adding 1 district and overpacking their base:
- districts now have 80–90% of Party A voters (wasted votes)
The remaining 4 districts swing narrowly to Party B
Outcome: Party B ends up winning more districts than expected, despite Party A still having the majority of the statewide vote.
In fact, if the redistricting is done "wrong", this actually increases the chances of slight movements in voters to swing drastically in favor the opposite....but its not like we ever seen that scenario recently.....
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u/RJ5R 8h ago
Don't look into it
Just do it. And do it ASAP
Stop trying to take the high road, when GOPedos are trying to run everyone over with a bulldozer
Stop trying to compromise.
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u/BlokeInTheMountains 5h ago
Democrats are still concerned about about appearing partisan.
Meanwhile he has weaponized his DoJ and every government apparatus to give himself and advantage,
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u/Motor_Somewhere7565 10h ago
Just do it. Don't use the "everything is on the table" political speech when Democracy is on the line here.
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u/AdventurerBKRB Maryland 9h ago
We are already pretty gerrymandered already - but getting rid of that idiot Andy Harris would be useful, but it's the Eastern Shore. I don't have a lot of confidence in them.
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u/AllTheyEatIsLettuce California 9h ago
The blue bus is boarding. Get the fuck on the bus.
xoxo
--California
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u/Paper_Clip100 10h ago
So long Andy fucking Davis.
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u/ShinyMeansFancy Maryland 8h ago
Harris.
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u/Paper_Clip100 7h ago
Who cares. Hes been a blight on DC for so long, history doesn’t owe him remembrance
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u/thepartypantser 9h ago
If Democrats, and this is a big if, ever get a super majority again the first thing they should do is make DC a state.
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u/Trashman56 8h ago
DC and Puerto Rico, and do we know how Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands would potentially vote? Let’s get them in here too.
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u/nosayso 9h ago
Maryland is already pretty well set. Only 1 safe Republican district and 1 swing district, and doesn't even take a lot of trickery to get it that way - since recent redistricting all the districts are also reasonably compact. But even though it's not really necessary (only 1 seat to be gained) it's nice that he's willing to say he hasn't rule it out, shows he's taking the issue seriously.
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u/lactose_cow 9h ago
the current dem strategy seems to be "match the seats trump steals, dont go over". they... have a winning strategy?
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u/ral315 6h ago
If every state does this, Dems lose in the aggregate.
Other than California, only seven states have a Democratic trifecta and the ability to get more Democratic seats. (Hawaii, for instance, has a trifecta but both its seats are held by Dems).
- Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and Washington have independent redistricting commissions that could potentially be changed, but probably not before the 2026 elections.
- Maryland could maybe pick up one seat (currently 7-1 D), but they tried an 8-0 map that was struck down by a state court back in 2022. That's what Gov. Moore is looking into.
- Illinois can redistrict. But they currently have a 14-3 majority, and I don't see how they could redraw the lines to gain more than one seat - the current R seats are incredibly rural and far away from population centers that might be able to swing them blue.
- Oregon only has one Republican seat, and trying to turn that blue would put other D seats in danger. As-is, the 5th District was drawn for a Democrat but briefly went red in 2022.
Meanwhile, Republicans have a number of states that they can target, albeit for fewer seats than Texas. Florida's looking, Ohio could eke out a few more R seats, and a number of southern states are waiting on the Supreme Court to gut more of the VRA so they can eliminate the majority-black districts that account for virtually all Democratic-held seats in the Deep South.
I think Dems are playing this as well as they can for now.
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u/BlokeInTheMountains 5h ago
Democrats are ready to triple down on not appearing partisan or unfair.
Republicans have been saying "any means or win is necessary" for 40 years.
Hence they have the SCOTUS, house and presidency in their favor.
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u/Alwaystired254 10h ago
Yes! Fight democrats! This is our time! Pull the gloves off
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u/AccountNumeroThree North Carolina 10h ago
Fight democrats!
or
Fight, democrats!
The comma makes a big difference.
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u/Gastropodius 9h ago
What other blue states have this capability? WA, MN, CT, CO?
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u/globus_pallidus 7h ago
Colorado is only blue along the I-25 corridor. Majority of Colorado (land-wise) is red
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u/Word1_Word2_4Numbers 5h ago
The Supreme Court made it explicitly legal. The Republicans are taking advantage of it. These are the rules of the game, the Democrats have to do it back every bit as hard.
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u/Charlos11 4h ago
Please for the love get Andy Harris drop kicked outta office all the way to Uganda. Heard there’s an open cell waiting for an actual bad guy
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u/Rocky-Sullivan 3h ago
I would be so thrilled if I didn’t have to live in Andy Harris’s district anymore.
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u/TheDukeofArgyll Maryland 9h ago
Pretty sure Maryland is already heavily gerrymandered for Dems. I didn’t think we could gain another seat
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u/hunter15991 Illinois 9h ago
I didn’t think we could gain another seat
This map has its reddest seat at Harris+7.2 (Kamala, not Andy, he'd be hosed by such a setup). And that's with limiting myself to crossing the bay only on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. If you allow district contiguity to be fulfilled by water connections you can make it even more lopsided.
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