Greg Speed in HuffPost: No, It’s Not Too Soon To Think About Redistricting

May 13, 2014

Contact:

In his latest post, “No, It’s Not Too Soon To Think About Redistricting,” America Votes President Greg Speed argues that post-2010 partisan gerrymandering in states controlled by extreme conservative governors and legislatures has proven to be one of the single largest roadblocks for the progressive movement today. The decade-long effects of redistricting cannot be ignored, and progressives must make it a priority in our long-term strategy.

“The importance of who controls redistricting still cannot be overstated. We need to be ready to play a long game focused on incremental gains, and six years out from the next census is certainly not too early to prepare for it.”

We can’t wait until the 2020 to start thinking about how electoral outcomes will affect our ability to advance the progressive issues we care about most like protecting working families, women’s health choices, our enviornment and voter access to the ballot. We must begin our work in 2014 to have an impact in 2020 and beyond.

“What happens over several election cycles leading up to the decennial census typically shapes the redistricting process…Every decade presents just five opportunities to elect state legislative majorities, and this November will be our second out of five plays to inch closer to the post-2020 end zone.”

To read the full post, check out The Huffington Post.