A front-page Deseret News story Saturday indicated that the Associated Press analysis showed how gerrymandering benefited mostly Republicans in 2016. The article went on to specify that the drawing of boundary lines for 435 congressional and 4,700 state legislative races seemed to help the candidates for one party over another. This is not really news at all.

Generally, partisan gerrymandering does not violate federal court standards for “equal protection” under the 14th Amendment. Both parties have engaged in it from the early 1800s. The term “gerrymander” came from the name of Gov. Elbridge Gerry. On March 26, 1812, the Boston Gazette depicted the new district lines as a “gerrymander.”

Since those early years of American government, political parties have sought to redistrict legislative districts to keep up with census changes of the population. This process is required and not new either. What is new here seems to be that the Associated Press this year finds the results for congressional and state legislative seats troublesome because their reporters and analysts have a partisan bent for Democrats and against Republicans. The AP could have entirely different results if they employed equal numbers of R's and D's to report on the same basis as they have in past years!

Robert Goss

American Fork