Congressional Redistricting In This Election And Beyond

FEATURING DAVID DALEY – With just hours to go before election results begin rolling in, party control of the House and Senate is a big question. According to 538.com’s Nate Silver, Democrats have a 50.2% chance of taking control of the US Senate. As we’ve discussed on this program how congressional districts are drawn greatly determines which party controls a seat. Republicans have very successfully redrawn districts in several key states over the years very openly using a strategy of “gerry-mandering.”

That is why President Obama, in a newly announced post-presidential plan, has decided to take on redistricting together with his former Attorney General Eric Holder. Most presidents hit the speaking circuit or start charitable foundations after their terms end. Mr. Obama and Mr. Holder will lead a newly formed group called the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

David Daley, editor-in-chief of Salon, Digital Media Fellow for the Wilson Center for Humanities and the Arts, and the Grady School of Journalism and the University of Georgia, author of the new book, Rat F**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy.