Business leaders are taking a courageous stand for democracy by speaking out against the ongoing wave of proposed and passed state laws that limit access to the ballot box--including Georgia’s recent SB202.
They recognize that legislation that damages our system of elections is an existential threat to a stable, healthy democracy. Our economic prosperity depends on fair elections under the rule of law, and the resulting political stability.
But securing voting rights is only half of the battle for fair elections. In 2021, the other half will come in the form of census-driven redistricting of all our Congressional and state legislative districts. With the census data delayed until September 30, redistricting will take place in the 4th quarter; the resulting maps will govern elections through 2030.
In Georgia, redistricting remains under the control of the state legislature. This allows politicians to tilt the playing field in their favor. Both parties have done so in the past. To repeat: gerrymandered districts will impact elections for a decade.
Why should business leaders care about yet another highly charged political issue? Simple. Businesses want a stable political environment that promotes sensible legislation and regulations.
But the rigging of electoral maps supports polarized state legislatures. Unlike businesses that must compete for customers every day, legislators in “safe” seats don’t have to listen to all their constituents. The only time they have to worry about competition is during the party primaries. Often, the most partisan candidate wins. Once in office they pass extreme legislation.
In contrast, competitive elections produce balanced legislatures in which bipartisan dialog promotes commonsense laws.
Furthermore, most businesses have strong ethics guidelines that prevent their employees from having conflicts of interest. Businesses would not tolerate a sales manager drawing a territory map that gives them all of the most profitable customers. Yet this is the essence of gerrymandering: self-dealing on a massive scale.
In Georgia, redistricting takes place behind closed doors. The majority party has a free hand. Only at the tail end of the process are maps made available for public comment, leaving almost no time for the public to have its say.
Gerrymandering has grown sophisticated. Today’s mapmakers wield sophisticated computer software and data from public and commercial sources. These powerful tools allow maps to be subtly manipulated. The days when gerrymandering was obvious due to contorted district shapes are long gone. The public cannot speak out against unfair maps because the damage is invisible and done in secret.
In 2021, Georgia’s business community has an opportunity to get out in front of this predictable outcome. They can advocate for fair, nonpartisan voting districts following three simple principles.
- First: Make the process public and transparent. We need to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the work of legislators and their staff. Georgia’s procedures are particularly opaque, but the legislature can change them at will. The work of redistricting can and should be done in full view of the public. Legislators should adopt rules that require full and timely disclosure of all work. Data, algorithms, and maps should be released in time for public review and comment, well in advance of legislative votes.
- Second: Establish nonpartisan, objective benchmarks for the mapping of voting districts. The most lucrative gerrymandering opportunity for the majority party is to simply rig the maps for unfair advantage. Here’s some good news: the same advanced software and data used by legislators has, for the first time, become widely available in the public domain. Fair Districts GA is partnering with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project to provide statistical benchmarks for partisan balance and minority representation. This data can be used to guide map development and measure finished maps. Georgia’s legislators should commit to meeting these benchmarks.
- Third: Draw maps that reflect community input. Redistricting has a very real impact on the voices of citizens in every county, city, and town. Legislators must listen carefully to communities across the state about their desired representation, and they must account for that input when drawing maps. Communities, in turn, must clearly express their rationale for cohesive representation. Many groups across Georgia will be deploying another Princeton innovation, Representable.org, which enables citizens to define communities of interest and legislators to incorporate them into maps.
These principles should not be difficult to adopt. No politician can reasonably argue that secrecy is better than transparency. Freely available, modern technology provides clear and measurable yardsticks for fair maps. Listening and being accountable to citizens is simply part of the job.
Without compromising their nonpartisan principles, business leaders can strengthen their call for fair elections by recognizing that fair districts are as essential as secure voting rights, and call on the legislature to adopt these redistricting principles.
Ken Lawler is chair of Fair Districts GA.
