Fair Representation

A true representative democracy will not be realized until the rules and structures for determining representation are reconfigured to redistribute power to the entire electorate, so that communities choose who represents them. As such, the Foundation invests in redistricting reform to remedy the severe gerrymandering prevalent in Great Lakes states and to identify solutions to other laws that undermine voters’ ability to determine who represents them.

Goal: Representation is determined by the electorate in a fair, transparent, and accountable process.

Objectives:

• Support adoption and implementation of fair redistricting policies and practices within the Great Lakes states.
  • We will support proactive efforts to achieve reform, as well as implementation in states that have adopted redistricting reform to help them run effectively and to learn from their experiences. We will also support defensive work to push back against gerrymandering and other efforts to draw districts behind closed doors.
• Identify, assess, and recommend reforms for other laws or policies that undermine voters’ ability to determine who represents them.
  • Redistricting is only one component of representation. There are other structures that stand in the way of voters truly getting to choose who represents them, such as poorly conceived term limits and the Electoral College. This initiative will reach beyond redistricting to assess what other structures undermine voter choice and determine the best ways to correct the problems.