Press Releases

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-First District) today announced that his U.S. House Problem Solvers Caucus has endorsed a comprehensive proposal to reform runaway gerrymandering of Congressional districts and restore trust in the redistricting process, limit partisan interference, advance broader representation and facilitate real solutions in Congress.  

The proposal was developed by the Problem Solvers’ Gerrymandering Working Group, co-chaired by Case, a Democrat, and U.S. Representative Jeff Hurd (Colorado-Third District), a Republican.

“The Problem Solvers is about facing and solving our toughest challenges and making our government work,” said Case, who also serves as Vice Chair of the 45-Member caucus. “The worsening redistricting wars are a direct obstacle to a representative, inclusive, functioning and trusted government, and a solution must be a priority.

“Our Caucus’ endorsed framework lays out the guideposts of for real reform and demonstrates that even the toughest and most political issues can be solved on a bipartisan basis.”

Case said the framework establishes five principles for Congressional redistricting: 

·       Stability and predictability in representation,

·       Transparency and public confidence in the map-drawing process,

·       Fair and consistent application of standards across states,

·       Respect for communities and political subdivisions, and

·       Reduction of incentives for partisan manipulation.

The framework also identifies four bipartisan reforms designed to create a more transparent, fair, and consistent process for drawing congressional districts nationwide:

·       Once-a-Decade Redistricting: Restrict Congressional redistricting to once every ten years following the decennial Census.

·       Nationwide Uniform Standards: Require Congressional districts to be drawn using clear, objective criteria while rejecting partisan advantage and incumbent protection as legitimate goals.

·       Reducing Partisan Influence: Support approaches that minimize partisan influence, including independent commissions, algorithmic mapping and other mechanisms that promote public confidence.

·       Federal Resolution of Challenges: Establish a consistent federal process for resolving Congressional redistricting disputes.

“Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” said Case.  

“These hyperpartisan gerrymandering wars are destructive to democracy because they effectively disenfranchise large segments of our electorate and balkanize our nation into a state of perpetual partisan warfare.

“We need a Washington that truly represents the American people and works together to solve tough issues, not politicians endlessly pulled and beholden to irreconcilable extremes.

“Our Problem Solvers gerrymandering framework focuses on reforms that facilitate fair inclusion of all viewpoints, democratic debate and representative solutions.” 

The House Problem Solvers Caucus is an official group of Members in the U.S. House of Representatives, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Founded in 2017, its mission is to foster bipartisan cooperation, overcome legislative gridlock and advance consensus-based solutions on major national issues. More information about the Problem Solvers is available at https://problemsolverscaucus.house.gov.

Case said that over the coming months, the Problem Solvers will further develop these principles into specific common-sense legislation and continue to build a coalition of support from across the political spectrum for essential reform. 

Read the full framework here.

Gerrymandering statistics here.

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