Idaho State Capitol – Idaho Democratic legislators announced that they are holding the “We Need You to Defend Fair Elections in Idaho” event. The event is centered around a conversation with national gerrymandering expert, David Daley. Daley authored the 2016 book, Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count, which explores how Republican political operatives were able to exploit the redistricting process to gain control of the U.S. Congress.
Representative Melissa Wintrow/(D-Boise) led the organizing efforts to bring Daley to Idaho. She expressed the importance of attending the events.
“Democratic legislators in Idaho have been fighting for fair elections for several sessions.” Rep. Wintrow explained. “Gerrymandering is a bipartisan issue that will impact voters from both sides of the aisle. When one side is making all the rules, there is no balance in our government or institutions. There is a huge risk of corruption and misrepresentation when one party is pulling all of the strings.”
“It’s well known that Idaho is the gold standard for redistricting. Other states look to Idaho for guidance on how to make elections more fair and balanced. We asked David Daley to come to Idaho and inform Democrats and Republicans on both sides of some of the dangers of having a redistricting process that is more lenient toward gerrymandering. I hope to see Idahoans from all political backgrounds at this event with the intention of informing themselves to fight any efforts that would make our elections unfair.”