Gerrymandering is the manipulation of congressional districts or other internal political boundaries to achieve a partisan advantage. If it is done effectively, gerrymandering can frustrate the desires of voters and yield a Congress that is not truly representative. Many efforts have been made to end gerrymandering, albeit with mixed results.

This term the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether gerrymandering for partisan advantage violates the Constitution, making the issue a timely one to discuss. Our lead essayist this month, Cato Senior Fellow Walter Olson, serves on the state of Maryland’s Redistricting Reform Commission. He argues that gerrymandering is an issue that all of us should take seriously, libertarians certainly included. Joining him this month will be Professor Michael McDonald of the University of Florida, and Professor Raymond J. La Raja of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Comments will remain open through the end of the month as well, and we invite readers to join the discussion.