Flemming: Vermont at high risk of gerrymandering, according to report

By David Flemming

Vermont is at a “high risk” of having its redistricting process fall prey to partisanship, below only “extreme risk.” RepresentUs, an activist group with a decidedly progressively flavored website, notes “high-threat states are ripe for rigged maps, but may see minor protections in their current political landscape, basic transparency requirements, or simple legal standards for mapmakers. With few exceptions, current politicians control the redistricting.”

David Flemming, policy analyst at the Ethan Allen Institute

RepresentUs considers 5 questions for ascertaining each state’s risk.

To the first question “Can politicians control how election maps are drawn?” Vermont receives a “High Risk” designation. “The Vermont legislature approves plans by majority vote, subject to gubernatorial veto. Vetoes can be overridden with a 2/3 vote in each chamber. The apportionment board sends maps to the legislature, and is made up of 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 2 members of the Progressive Party. The chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court appoints the last member. The legislature can pass, change, or reject the board’s maps.” States like Michigan have an independent commission to determine their map, rather than legislators or partisan figures.

For the second question “Can election maps be drawn in secret?” Vermont is also at “High Risk” because “Public hearings are not required.” To bring a little of what is done in the dark into light, state statute requires plans to be “available for public inspection.”

States at risk of gerrymandering

For the third question “Can election maps be rigged for partisan gain?” Vermont is only at “Moderate Risk.” “No party has enough control of the legislature to control the process, giving the governor meaningful veto authority. The inclusion of a third party on the board does limit partisan abuse by giving them equal power to the two major parties. However, these safeguards depend on divided political control, and could be eliminated in the future depending on legislative makeup.” Vermont’s Progressive Party holds the keys to Vermont’s redistricting in many ways.

Vermont is also at “Moderate Risk” in response to the question “Are the legal standards weak?” Vermont statute only stipulates that “districts must be: 1. compact; 2. in one piece; 3. in-line with political boundaries; 4. considerate of communities of interest.” Therefore, RepresentUs says “maps can also consider incumbency. These weak standards leave the process open to partisan bias. … a lack of prohibition of unfair practices, makes the reapportionment open to partisan or unfair plans.”

Vermont likely would have received the “Extreme” designation that 27 states did, but the fifth question “Are rigged election maps hard to challenge in court?” was deemed a “Low Risk.” The only thing excellent about our redistricting process is that “any group of five citizens can challenge maps in the Vermont Supreme Court within 30 days.”

These designations should not be taken as the chance of Vermont’s historical record or the cunning of a state’s politicians — only the legal process for determining legislative is considered. Regardless, Vermont has a long way to go before we can be considered a “low risk” of gerrymandering.

David Flemming is a policy analyst for the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.

9 thoughts on “Flemming: Vermont at high risk of gerrymandering, according to report

  1. And if that doesn’t work, we have the Dominion/CCP owned ethernet connected voting tabulators as backups.
    No worries, Chinarmonters… we got this!

  2. “The apportionment board sends maps to the legislature, and is made up of 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 2 members of the Progressive Party”

    The Democrats and the Progressives all vote essentially as a block. So it’s a 4 to 2 set up.

    We need to get to 2 Democrat, 2 Republican, 2 Progressive and 2 Conservative.

  3. DemocRATs, like the power of being in control and they, will do whatever is needed as
    we have seen in 2020…… so gerrymandering, is the next step to stack the political deck
    so everything on their agenda will get passed !!

    Wake up, democRATs will destroy the country in order to stay in power, just look at the current
    condition of the country with democrats in charge for just a year and then look at the current
    debt-ridden state Vermont is in …….

  4. Dem/Progs, such as Pelosi, Schumer, Sanders, want to have a NEW federal election law, that would unconstitutionally usurp the right of FIFTY States to run election as they see fit, per US Constitution.

    Universal Mail-out of Ballots
    Universal Ballot Harvesting,
    Midnight Drop Boxes,
    No Election Observers
    No Voter ID Laws
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com

    Here are some shenanigans of the 2020 Election

    Newly Discovered Video Shows Late Night Deliveries of Tens of Thousands of Illegal Ballots 8 Hours After Deadline

    Michigan AG Dana Nessel Sends Cease and Desist Order to Journalist Demanding He Erase His #DetroitLeaks Video Showing Voter Fraud Training — OR FACE CRIMINAL PROSECUTION

    ‘I Can’t Believe What I’m Seeing – This is a Coup’ – Registered Democrat and Poll Watcher Details Corruption at Philly Vote Counting Center (VIDEO)

    Maricopa County Elections Footage Released – Shows Elections Workers Committing Numerous Violations — More Potential Legal Violations (VIDEO)

    Georgia Laws Were Changed Before the 2020 Election Outside the Legislature to Soften Signature Verification

    Georgia Investigators have ‘Ballot Trafficker’ Who Is Talking — Admits to Being Paid THOUSANDS in 2020 Election Ballot Boxes Ballot Harvesting Scheme — 242 Ballot Traffickers Detected

  5. High Risk?
    Try-
    High Certainty.
    In much the same way that the legislature conspired with Condos in 2020 to re-write election laws,
    the party in power will have their way with re-districting. With nary a Conservative Judge or Justice in the Vermont Judicial System to sustain any litigation, we cede more control to the “Uniparty” of democrats and progressives.

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