Americans long ago adopted as conventional wisdom that redistricting is somehow the proper responsibility of political parties – and that gerrymandering is but a corrupted form of that responsibility. Though this has been a practical reality for multiple generations, the assumption itself is a misconception; it is a reflection of the fact that the Democratic and Republican parties have permeated government for so long, Americans today make little distinction between the parties themselves and the governmental institutions within which they operate. The persistence of that conventional wisdom serves as a false premise when it comes to debates over issues such as redistricting reform.
From the founding, redistricting in America has been left to state legislatures. The principle of federalism – that the many states and the federal government are separate sovereigns with separate responsibilities and interests – was to provide a potent institutional division, insuring against improper coordination between the state and federal governments. The inevitable development of political parties, however, created long-lasting and deep political affiliations throughout all levels of both government and society unanticipated by the Framers. These principally ideological affiliations, largely undiminished by geographic boundaries, affect both expectations and behavior – both within the public and among elected members. Parties are expected to act in their self-interest, of course, but many supporters see governmental institutions as instruments to be controlled by the parties to achieve those interests. Thus, efforts to control governmental institutions, rather than simply participate within them in conjunction with the political opposition, are both expected and welcomed.
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