This article by Michael Waldman is published by Brannan Center for Justice. Here is an except:

August 16 is a big day for democracy. But it might not be a good day for democracy. That’s when the Census Bureau releases the data that states will use in the redistricting process. The maps they draw will be used for the next 10 years. And in many states, what that means is the gerrymandering barbecue is about to begin. The unchecked partisan and racial gerrymandering that we expect to see won’t just tilt for one party — it will also serve to squelch the voices of people of color. 

As my colleague Michael Li explains in the Washington Post, federal legislation is urgently needed to stop the map grab and protect the integrity of the redistricting process. Based on current requirements and past practices, 32 states are likely to have new maps in place by early next year, more than half of them by this fall.

Gerrymandering has been around since the founding, when Patrick Henry tried to draw Virginia’s very first congressional map to prevent James Madison from winning a seat. Both parties do it when they can. And in the 21st century, with the help of computer algorithms combined with commercially available consumer data, it operates on a far vaster scale.

Read the full article here.