Amidst the chaos of the so-called leadership of President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama is continuing to help lead the charge to push back. This Wednesday, he issued a public message on Twitter calling on Americans to join the fight against gerrymandering, which is the process in which the lines of political districts are manipulated to favor a particular political party — often Republicans. If Democratic-leaning voters are kept under the majority in as many districts as possible, then Republicans can have an easier time staying in power.
Obama’s former Attorney General Eric Holder has helped spearhead an organization called All On The Line, which has been attempting to bring public attention to the redistricting process that’s set to take place following the 2020 census results. Redistricting takes place after every census, which is the point in the process when Republican politicians often intervene to try and shape the outcome towards their political wishes.
Obama tweeted:
‘For too long, gerrymandering has contributed to stalled progress and warped our representative government. Redistricting begins next year—let’s all do our part to protect and restore our democracy. Join me and @allontheline in the fight for fair maps’
For too long, gerrymandering has contributed to stalled progress and warped our representative government. Redistricting begins next year—let’s all do our part to protect and restore our democracy.
Join me and @allontheline in the fight for fair maps: https://t.co/rU2hd4812n https://t.co/hbeQAjzRlv
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 8, 2020
In Obama’s post, he linked to a website where his followers could sign a “citizen commitment,” in which they commit to supporting the push for fair maps rather than the gerrymandered lines that support special interests in political party establishments.
The commitment reads, in part:
‘I believe we need independent, non-partisan, and fair redistricting that ends map manipulation. I commit to only support candidates and elected officials who want fair and representative districts and I will hold elected officials accountable to ensure we have a fair redistricting process in 2021.’
All On The Line is far from the only political advocacy organization in which the Obamas have been involved. Former First Lady Michelle Obama has also founded an organization called When We All Vote, which — as its name suggests — advocates for increased voting registration and participation around the country. President Trump and his allies seem to be terrified of the possibility that people getting to have their voice heard will mean that Trump leaves office; Trump has been slinging completely baseless conspiracy theories about the supposed fraud of mail-in voting, among other issues.
Check out Twitter’s response to Obama:
