Kids who live on the other side of Olympia  are familiar with the Out of District form they have to sign every year.  Even if the nearest school is five minutes away, some kids are considered out of the district.  This nuisance does not only apply to schools, but voting as well.  In fact, voting is why these wonky district lines even exist.   

In a process called “Gerrymandering”, politicians draw district lines that will hopefully skew the vote in their favor.  The Washington Post describes it as “drawing political boundaries to give your party a numeric advantage over opposing party”.  The drawing of district lines can easily switch a state’s vote.

But why do district lines play such a significant role in winning over an election? In the figure pictured (see figure 1), it is easy to visualize how a side can easily win the vote of a particular state.  Often, states with a “swing” vote are often to be affected by gerrymandering. .

The Washington Post states that “an overwhelming majority of Americans of all stripes oppose gerrymandering”.  No matter the political opinion, gerrymandering affects everyone and is a violation of the American democracy.  In short, we the people can not have our votes heard because of these district lines that obstruct the elections.

It’s easy to oppose the idea of gerrymandering, but fixing it might be a bit more complicated.  Pessimism aside, anything can be possible if we work hard enough to get it.  Besides doing more research on gerrymandering and the effects, there is multiple petitions and protests that our generation can participate in. .  As soon as politicians can stop drawing district lines, we can become closer in achieving a perfect democracy.