Ending gerrymandering is an important step, but it is not enough. Even when district lines are drawn fairly, our winner-take-all election system can still leave millions of voters without meaningful representation.
A growing number of political scientists argue that proportional representation is a more fundamental reform. Instead of awarding one seat to the winner of each district, parties receive seats in proportion to the votes they earn. If a party wins 30% of the statewide vote, it receives about 30% of the seats. This means nearly every vote counts, not just those cast for the winning candidate.
Research discussed by Stanford scholars and NPR notes that proportional representation greatly reduces the incentive for gerrymandering while producing legislatures that more closely reflect the will of the voters. It can also encourage broader viewpoints and more competitive politics.
If we truly want representative government, we should do more than redraw district lines. We should give gerrymandering the boot by reforming the election system itself.
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