More Black and people of color are voting, but still they are losing. STOCK PHOTO

Across America the Republicans are winning, because there is no shame in their game. When the Republican front runner for president of the country has 91 criminal charges against him and no one appears to care, something is wrong with the system.

Power is the reason of how the Republicans stay ahead, and breaking a law is not a problem. In 2023, the Republicans are winning elections before the first vote is cast, because of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is the process of redrawing the lines of a state’s congressional district. This happens every ten years because gerrymandering disenfranchises districts before the vote.

“Following the redistricting process spurred on by the 2020 Census, it appears that Republicans have drawn themselves favorable maps in the states of Iowa, North Carolina, Texas, and Montana, which is likely to give them five additional seats in Congress.

A large number of Americans are aware that there are more people of color reported in the last Census, and their voices are silenced by gerrymandering and racketeering. Racketeering was started in Georgia in 1980 and certain states such as New York used it to convict criminal enterprises such as the Mafia.

But in 2023, something changed and now the former president of the US and his supporters are using racketeering as part of their game. Georgia’s racketeering law makes it a crime to participate in, acquire or maintain control of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity or to conspire to do so.

Many politicians have been caught breaking the law around the country, and Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton has been accused of breaking the law under indictment of felony securities fraud. This Texas AG Paxton is a big supporter of Ex-President Trump and he is running for office again.

In Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the unusual step, and created the congressional maps, and he did not seem to care if they were gerrymandered or not. He took the 5th Congressional District occupied by Black Democrat Al Lawson, and cut it up into 4 smaller districts. This is gerrymandering at its highest level but the Supreme Court passed the map.

As long as Ron DeSantis is in office, Black and people of color are in bad shape.

Gerrymandering has been making congressional races less competitive for years, and just 61 of the 435 House elections in 2020 were considered competitive. Even though the census numbers of 2020 would make it appear that things were changing, the Republicans are still winning. Racketeering is happening in closed meetings and the Republicans are in control of the numbers.

“The result is a lack of representation for those who need it the most. The 2020 Census showed America is getting more diverse, with people of color making up a larger and larger share of the country population. However, these are the same communities that often see their voices silenced by gerrymandering. This makes some voters less likely to turn up to the polls in the first place, as their heavily gerrymandered district renders their vote less meaningful,” says AJ Dellinger.

More Black and people of color are voting, but still they are losing. Democrats must hold candidates accountable to what they say, and what they do. Gerrymandering is being executed around the country, and with racketeering, the Republicans plan is working.