May 16, 2026, 08:26May 16, 2026, 08:26
Gerrymandering is almost as old as the United States itself.Image: keystone
How bizarre the redesign of electoral districts in the USA can end up was recently shown at a simple intersection in the small town of Millcreek. Not two, not three, but four different counties in the state of Utah could be reached on foot at times – depending on which direction you went. Millcreek is an extreme example of the practice of “gerrymandering.” The shaping of constituencies in favor of one’s own party could tip the scales in the congressional elections in November.
“Gerrymandering” is almost as old as the United States itself – and yet the topic is more explosive than it has been for a long time. Six months before the important midterm elections, the parties are taking an increasingly aggressive approach, not least due to pressure from President Donald Trump.
Experts warn that the practice robs democratic elections of their legitimacy because voters no longer choose their representatives, but vice versa. In the end, according to criticism, it only comes down to a few districts in which voters actually have an open choice.
Majorities are split until the votes evaporate
The city of Millcreek is a prime example. There are four electoral districts in Utah, and the Republicans are ahead in almost the entire state – but not in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which also includes Millcreek. As a result, the Republicans designed the four districts so that all four heavily Republican constituencies included part of the metropolitan area in order to virtually neutralize the Democratic votes. Whoever gets the majority in a district wins the seat in the House of Representatives.
The courts have now overturned the new cuts in Utah – but the fight over it is gaining momentum across the country. “Gerrymandering” has increased significantly in recent years, says Todd Belt, professor of political science at George Washington University, to the German Press Agency. “Unfortunately, this process has meant that there are only around 36 truly contested constituencies in the House of Representatives, which has 435 members,” says Belt. About ten years ago there were 60.
But real competition between the parties is essential for a representative democracy, warns Belt. “Gerrymandering” is becoming a problem for democracy.
Trump urges Republicans to go all out
It is common practice for the constituencies to be redesigned after the census at the beginning of each decade so that approximately the same number of people live in all districts. But given the many new cuts, this tradition seems to be over. There are two main reasons for this.
On the one hand, there is the pressure from the president. Trump had repeatedly asked his party colleagues in the states to redraw the lines in favor of the Republicans. Two heavyweights followed with Texas and Florida, and there were also new constituencies or plans for them in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Ohio.
The Democrats followed suit in California and Virginia, but are currently in a worse position. A bitter setback for them was a decision by the Supreme Court on Friday. The judges left a ruling in effect that had overturned the redistricting in Virginia in favor of the Democrats. The Democrats had hoped for a total of four additional seats.
The Supreme Court’s ruling sends off a wave
In the midterm elections on November 3rd, every single representative mandate could be decisive. If the Republicans lose their currently very narrow majority in even one of the two chambers of parliament, Trump will no longer be able to push through any major legislative initiatives. He might also have to prepare for impeachment proceedings. However, for the second chamber of parliament, the Senate, the redesign of constituencies does not play any role, as senators are elected in an entire state.
The second reason for the new dynamic is a ruling by the Supreme Court: A few weeks ago, its conservative majority gutted part of a voting rights law. The so-called Voting Rights Act was one of the central achievements of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He protected black and other minority districts from redistricting so that their representatives actually ended up in parliament. Their constituencies have now essentially lost this protection.
As a result, southern states in particular initiated a redesign in order to reshape once protected districts as they wished. In Louisiana, the party’s internal primaries were postponed specifically for this purpose. Trump immediately demanded that other states do the same as Louisiana. Even holding primaries twice doesn’t seem to be taboo for Trump. “If you have to vote twice, then so be it.”
Why “gerrymandering” doesn’t exist in Germany
The issue is so virulent in the USA because parliaments and party-political committees are responsible for elections in the states, explains Christian Lammert, professor of North American politics at the Free University of Berlin, to the dpa. “Unlike in many European democracies, there is no uniform, nationwide system of independent constituency commissions.”
Lammert says Republicans and Democrats are in a kind of partisan “arms race.” He also sees “gerrymandering” as a danger to democracy. “Gerrymandered, “safe” constituencies shift the competition from the actual election to the party’s internal primary, which encourages extreme or highly polarizing candidacies and makes it more difficult to reach compromises in Congress,” says Lammert.
The practice owes its name to a new design by the US state of Massachusetts in 1812: Governor Elbridge Gerry approved a particularly creative new design for a district near Boston, the shape of which reminded many of a salamander. (sda/dpa)