1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

I write to you as a concerned citizen deeply committed to preserving representative democracy in the United States. As the political landscape becomes more volatile and asymmetrical, it is increasingly clear that Democratic-led states must adopt a more strategic posture on redistricting. Over the past two decades—particularly since 2010—Republican-controlled legislatures have used redistricting to entrench power in a way that distorts representative government. Through the well-coordinated REDMAP initiative, Republicans targeted key swing-state legislatures, giving them control over map drawing in states like Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The result: an estimated 15 to 20 extra U.S. House seats per cycle gained through gerrymandering alone. That structural advantage has totaled more than 100–160 extra seats cumulatively since 2010. In 2012, Democrats received over 1 million more votes nationally for the House—but Republicans still held a 33-seat majority. Analyses from the Brennan Center and others show that GOP map manipulation in just a few states consistently undermines the will of the majority. Meanwhile, Democratic-led states have often taken the high road—favoring independent commissions and bipartisan map-making. While morally admirable, this asymmetry has left Democratic voters structurally disadvantaged, and national policy vulnerable to a minority-rule dynamic. This is not a call to abandon democratic principles, but to recognize that unilateral restraint in the face of relentless opposition tactics may only deepen the imbalance. Blue states must meet this moment with clear-eyed resolve and strategic use of every legal tool available—including redistricting power—to protect democratic representation and preserve national policy gains in areas like reproductive rights, climate action, and voting access. You have both the authority and responsibility to ensure that your state’s representation reflects the will of its people—not the national consequences of GOP map-rigging elsewhere.