Now, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on partisan gerrymandering in the coming weeks. Thus, the relationship between the number of votes and number of seats is distorted in a way that favors the gerrymandering party. Partisan gerrymandering lowers political competition and increases political inequalityPartisan gerrymandering has a number of other downstream effects on the health of political parties. What social science can tell the Supreme CourtOne key question before the Supreme Court is whether there are standards to detect an extreme partisan gerrymander. As the Supreme Court mulls the issue, these facts should be at the forefront of its thinking.

Source: Washington Post June 01, 2019 10:52 UTC