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The Indiana University Democrats invite president of the Monroe County League of Women Voters, Kate Cruikshank to their weekly meeting this past Wednesday. She speaks about her research on political gerrymandering, and why she believes the redistricting system needs to change.
Gerrymandering is the process of manipulating district boundaries to favor one specific political party during elections. Cruikshank says it’s not fair.
“Fair representation is just the bottom line," she said. "If we don’t have a direct connection between people and the people who represent them reflecting their views, what have we got?”
Cruikshank says there is a massive problem with gerrymandering right here in Monroe County. When she first became the president of the League of Women Voters, Cruikshank says she was in shock to realize there were seven representatives for Monroe County because of gerrymandering.
Cruikshank’s presentation outlined different ways gerrymandering works. She says it makes the election less about the candidate and more about the political party.
“This is craziness," Cruikshank said. "It’s just a forgone conclusion, I mean why vote?”
The IU Democrats wrote letters to their representatives after Cruikshank’s presentation. They are asking for redistricting reform to ensure their vote counts and elections are fair.
Cruikshank says she is working with representatives to pass a bill. It would create an interim study committee on redistricting for fair representation. She says her research began on this principle idea.
“I care about democracy," Cruikshank said."It’s so key, it’s so key.”
The IU Democrats meet once a week. For more information, visit their website at iudems.org.
