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"Business groups have realized that creating more competitive and

fairly drawn political districts helps create a more collaborative civic

climate that is good for business."

A CLOSER LOOK

Gerrymandering and the Industry of Politics

TribTalk, The Texas Tribune, Nov 1, 2017

Fair Maps Texas strongly believes that the responsibility of drawing district maps should be taken away from legislators, who have a self-vested interest in the process, and given to an independent special commission, with membership that reflects the diversity of the unit of government, including citizens at large, representatives of public interest groups, and members of minority groups.

Gerrymandering has created a legislative system that has little accountability. With the true race for the election being determined in the primary, this has created an environment where legislators are afraid to vote against the party position.  Candidates must also shift their platform in order to capture more of the party's base, and this leads to the political parties drifting more to ideological extremes. 

We all pay a steep economic price for a legislative system that has no accountability for results. This has produced:​
  • uncompetitive districts where the election is determined in the primary by less than 10% of the general population

  • elected officials that are unresponsive to the people's needs 

  • divisive rhetoric and inaction, not solutions

  • representatives that are afraid to vote against the party position, which leads to discriminatory legislation being passed

  • an unfair advantage for special interest groups and “big money”

  • ever-higher barriers to entry for third-party candidates, independents, and even moderates

  • no countervailing forces to restore healthy competition​

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