Some thoughts on District Representation for Union County IV: District Representation is not Gerrymandering.

District Representation is one of the major issues before us in Union County. As we move towards a referendum on this issue, I would like to offer a series of thoughts as to how adopting District Representation will benefit Union County.

Some of the opponents of District Representation have looked at the map of the proposed Union County Commissioner Districts and concluded that what they see is a case of Gerrymandering by the Democratic-dominated State House to increase the power of Union County Democrats at the expense of Union County Republicans.

Such accusations are part and parcel of the political process, so it is unsurprising that they have been made. In this case, however, it is inaccurate. After all, the counterclaim could be made that maintaining the current system of at-large representation for all County Commissioners is nothing more than the equivalent of a Republican gerrymander. By drawing the current districts of the County Commissioners to include all of Union County, we effectively maintain districts that are drawn for the advantage of the Republican Party. Perhaps this is why Commissioner Baucom tried to manipulate House Bill 1226 into preserving the current majority – a move that not even the Commissioners who would have benefited most could stomach.

The ultimate test of gerrymandering goes back to the old Latin phrase Qui Bono (Who profits or benefits)? Under the current gerrymandered system, the Republican benefit. If the Democrats wanted to make a power grab via a gerrymandered system, do you honestly think they would draw a series of lines that would leave them in the minority? Do you think that they would include two open seats that would maintain Republicans who might not be able to win in their districts a chance to keep their place on the County Commission instead of requiring one to be from the purported Republican stronghold of the west and another from the purported Democratic stronghold of the East?

The drive to increase representation of the underrepresented is not gerrymandering. It is an attempt to guarantee the type of representative government envisioned by our Founders.