Democracy in America has never been a perfect system—voter purges, the Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions, ID laws, voter intimidation, disenfranchising former convicts, low turnouts. Yet none have been as great a threat to our democracy as redistricting.
Under the New Jersey Constitution, a bipartisan redistricting committee redraws districts to reflect population changes according to the latest census. Following the 2010 election, the New Jersey Redistricting Commission redrew, among others, the 5th congressional district. This now places 80% of Teaneck residents under the 5th as opposed to the 9th. The 5th district now includes the more Democratic-leaning towns of Teaneck, Hackensack, Lodi, Fair Lawn, Maywood and Bogota.
This makes the 5th more competitive, as shown in the last election between incumbent Scott Garrett and fellow councilman Adam Gussen. Garrett won the election with 55% of the vote; however, that is significantly less than when he garnered a record 64% of the vote just two years earlier in 2010. Some, like Teaneck councilman Yitz Stern, argue this makes races more competitive and fair for all citizens to have a say. “Personally, I think making the 5th district more competitive has made it more balanced…and that is a good thing,” writes Stern.
Unfortunately, the reality is redistricting leads to the opposite, gerrymandering. Gerrymandering involves those in charge of redistricting deliberately dividing areas to favor one political party over another. This process unfairly make districts heavily partisan and a safe haven for incumbents, as shown in the last election where an astonishing 90% of all incumbents nationwide got reelected. This comes at a time when Congressional approval is at an all-time low of 8%. This became especially obvious in the 2012 election when Democrats in the House received 1.4 million more votes than Republicans, but Republicans retained a 234 seat majority due to heavily gerrymandered districts.
As regards the 5th district, its L-shaped configuration makes strange bedfellows of farmers and New York suburbanites. It comprises Bergen County: Allendale, Alpine, Bergenfield, Bogota, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Fair Lawn, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Lodi, Mahwah, Maywood, Midland Park, Montvale, New Milford, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Oradell, Paramus, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ridgewood, River Edge, River Vale, Rochelle Park, Rockleigh, Saddle River, Teaneck (part, also 9th), Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Washington Township, Westwood, Woodcliff Lake, Wyckoff; Passaic County: Ringwood, West Milford; Sussex County: Andover Borough, Andover Township, Branchville, Frankford Township, Franklin Borough, Fredon Township, Green Township, Hamburg, Hampton Township, Hardyston Township, Lafayette Township, Montague Township, Newton, Sandyston Township, Stillwater Township, Sussex, Vernon Township, Walpack Township, Wantage Township; Warren County: Allamuchy Township, Belvidere, Blairstown Township, Frelinghuysen Township, Hackettstown, Hardwick Township, Hope Township, Independence Township, Knowlton Township, Liberty Township, Mansfield Township, Oxford Township, Washington, Washington Township, White Township.
Historically, gerrymandering splits whole towns in half, the more conservative side to a more conservative district and vice versa, making the minority party all but invisible. However, perhaps this year in New Jersey’s 5th, it has made districts more competitive, and Roy Cho, the Democratic challenger to Scott Garrett, may have the first real chance of getting a Democrat elected in the district since 1933. Still, the effects of extreme gerrymandering means incumbents hardly have to campaign and elections are won along strict partisan lines.
The one thing voters across the country, and especially right here in the 5th, can do to curb gerrymandering is to vote.
By Shabbi Kestenbaum
