Weird Gerrymandering in Kansas
Fri ,02/08/2024“Chase Blasi, the Senator in Kansas District 27, is now running against me in Senate District 26. How is that possible?”
After the 2020 census, the legislature held meetings all over the state to get our opinions about how to redraw the district lines. In the end, the political leaders ignored our wishes and redrew the district lines to give their preferred candidates an advantage. This is why so many Kansas districts look like jigsaw puzzle pieces. Kansas Senate District 26 is a good example. Gene Sullentrop, the Senator in District 27, had a little legal trouble and resigned last year. The Republican committee in District 27 chose Chase Blasi to replace him. However, Chase Blasi, now the Senator in Kansas District 27, is running against me in Senate District 26. How is that possible?
The legislative leaders knew that Senator Dan Kershen in District 26 planned to retire, so the districts were gerrymandered so that Mr. Blasi would be in District 26, which they thought would be an open seat and give him an advantage. Interestingly, Mr. Blasi worked as the Chief of Staff for Senate President Ty Masterson, who was influential in redrawing the District maps. This move left District 27 an open seat for Joe Claeys, another partisan Republican favored by the Republican leadership. By redrawing the boundaries, Blasi and Claeys would not have to run against each other. If that’s confusing, please see the maps below. The red dot is Blasi’s home, which was magically transported from District 27 to District 26.
Do you see anything unusual about the US Representative map on the right? The green part of the map (District 3) extending from Lawrence, Kansas all the way to the Colorado border, now will be Democrat Charisse Davids’ district. Republicans, seeking to have a 4-0 seat advantage, extended Davids’ District to include much of Western Kansas. This moved roughly 46% of the black population and 33% of the Hispanic population, who strongly favored Davids, out of the 3rd Congressional District. Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the map over concerns about diminished representation for minority voters in the 3rd District, but the Republican-led state legislature overrode her veto.
Several lawsuits were filed against the gerrymandered maps. A lower court ruling in April of 2022 deemed the map an “intentional, effective partisan gerrymander” and ordered the legislature to go back to the drawing board. However, the Kansas Supreme Court ignored the unreasonableness, partisanship, and racial bias of the map and ruled that the Kansas Legislature had the right to draw the district maps in Kansas, apparently however they wanted. This certainly sets a bad precedent, and shows why an unbiased committee is needed to redraw the district maps after the next census.
(C) 2024 J.C. Moore