Satellite provider. Week, in cause and represent us help held with the called a rally to and partisan gerrymandering. Heard about whether wisconsins redistricting was gerrymandering. This is one hour 20 minutes. Good morning and thank you for coming out to our rally. For commonnager cause maryland. I am not sure how many of you are familiar with common cause but we are a nonartisan Grassroots Organization dedicated to upholding the core values of our american democracy. We have over 36 chapters and over one million members. Common cause is one of three groups that is hosting todays event. Join me in giving a round of American Progress. And a special thank you to the tooks who take different actions like supporting the movement and a number of different ways and thank you to the volunteers who came out early and are helping out today. Todays rally is personal. I work with common cause maryland and maryland is one of the two most gerrymandered states in the country. It is the worst in the nation for how we draw our congressional and district lines and we cannot rely on our elected officials to fix the system. It is time for the Supreme Court to create ground rules that preserves our right to vote vote is sure the counted. We will be joined by a number of speakers who are going to highlight the importance of todays events on the work their organizations have been doing in support of the movement and rally. I want to make sure that if anyone is tweeting are posting to use our been to join us as we chant. Join me in welcoming our first speaker, our president for Common Cause National chapter. Nice to be with all of you and i am proud to stand here with many of our allies who are joined together to fight back against harnessing partisan gerrymandering. Where pleased to join the Campaign Legal center and center to lead an amicus briefs that will be argued in the Supreme Court this morning. It wrought together state attorneys general, city attorneys, current and former members of congress, elected officials to and state legislatures across the country from both parties as well as citizen organizations to talk about the manipulation of our election for partisan advantage and the negative impact that has on our democracy. Every eligible american wants to have a voice and know that their vote counts in determining who is elected. Passedpolicies that are i congress and state legislatures that determine the future of our families and communities, politicians who manipulate the voting maps are lacing their partys power above the people. They sow the seeds of cynicism and cause too Many Americans to tune out about politics. It is because it escalates polarization that rewards political dysfunction and emboldens the extremes on sides of the aisle. It provides little to no incentive for the public to engage. We are here today to show the that the public does care about these issues. It may seem like wonky election issues but it has an impact on peoples lives. Voters recognize that highly gerrymandered legislatures are moving more extreme agendas by polarization and the consequences of gerrymandering. We have worked with by polarizal Education Association and the league of women voters in wisconsin to show that partisan gerrymandering results in the adoption of policies that are more partisan and extreme than residents in wisconsin. In wisconsin there is a historic pride in clean government and several years ago, wisconsinites put in place an independent Government Accountability board. This board was set to oversee and enforce compliance with ethics, Campaign Finance, and election laws. The gerrymandered legislature dismantled the independent Government Accountability board. Why did they do that . They did it because they wanted a weaker partisan agency in control because they did not want anybody to be investigating their actions. There was an investigation that the Government Accountability place with special place with special interest money and they do not want accountability and they do not want enforcement of clean government rules. Saw saw funding in k12 and public universities being important to wisconsin citizens, hitch proportions support that and what did the highly partisan legislature do . They cut funding for those programs. We also see strong bipartisan support for conservation and environmental reform and what did the highly partisan gerrymandered legislature do question mark they cut those programs. In North Carolina, another state huge party gerrymandering in place, we saw the legislature banned huge partytransgender bathroom. More than 80 of the population supported having transgender hot athens but they did not move and then when we saw the ncaa, concert venues and businesses saying we are not going to North Carolina, businesses suffered and the state lost millions. Did the legislature act . No. Why . They do not care what the people think. We saw North Carolina put in place a power grab in terms of a putible voting measure that discriminatory laws on the book including cutting early voting, discriminatory voter id in order put to ensure their partisan advantage. The need for districts is not just a problem in red states, we heard from joanne, this is a problem in blue states like maryland. That is why we have a bipartisan set of legislators, Arnold Schwarzenegger, u. S. Senator john mccain, Ohio Governor john kasich, joining governments like Sheldon Whitehouse and Tammy Baldwin to support and and partisan gerrymandering. The American People understand how politicians in both parties are stacking the deck against people. As a result, we are seeing an unprecedented groundswell of partisanor the end to gerrymandering. Are seeing reforms in states and seeing people gathering at events like this. In North Carolina today, leaders from common are seeing reforms s and seeing people gathering cah carolina hbcu Student Alliance are marching through the largest bhbcu. Their marching on a street that literally divides the campus into. On the left is the 13th Congressional District and on the right is the sixth Congressional District. Why was that put in place . It is 10,000 black students and that is the powerful voting block. They divided them on the center and so we have the impact of this cannot just be about policy but also directly affect an of blackn the rights and africanamerican students in North Carolina. This Agreement Court and gerrymandering as we know it in the whitford case. Although the cases before the Supreme Court and dealing with redistricting,ve if the Court Affirms the Lower Court Ruling in wisconsin, it will be establishing the principle that partisan politicians and special interests can no longer break the system byrig manipulating voting maps. The action from the Supreme Court could reduce costly litigation and said it clear standard that makes it clear to state legislatures as they are drawing maps my here is the line you cannot cross. In america, no liberty is more fundamental than the right to freely choose our representatives through voting. When politicians manipulate the rules and choose their voters instead, it leaves leads to dysfunction and legislative bodies that do not care about their constituents. It is time to end this practice. Thank you very much. [applause] where going we are going to into a few other chants. Gerrymandering has to go. Gerrymandering, has to go. We are tired of your tampering. Stop your gerrymandering. Please join me in welcoming our next speaker. From the representative new yorks third Congressional District. [crowd chanting] the partisan divide in our country today is mainly caused by partisan gerrymandering. Everyone is sick of politics and politicians and sick of the fingerpointing and sick of people not getting things done. Why is it happening . In the house of representatives 400e are 435 seeds of which seats of which 400 are saved seeds which guaranteed if you are a republican you will win reelection in a republican seat. If you are in a democratic seat, guaranteed we you will win reelection in the democratic seat to you cannot lose the general election. The only way you can lose is if you lose the primary. Very few people vote in the primary. Vote inn 10 of people the primary. They are often to the more extremes of the party. Far right. T and the if you are a congressperson who cannot lose the general election and you want to keep one wing of your party have the, you will try and please that wing of your party, the democrats tried to please the left and republicans tried to please the right. If you do anything in the middle you will get squashed by a bug and lose the primary. All these safety seats result in politicians not pandering to the people, not pandering to the general public, they pander to the base of the party. We must get rid of partisan gerrymandering in america. To force elected officials to be subject to the only thing that makes democracy work my competition. People battling over ideas. I have a better idea than you do. I have a better way of doing it more effectively, cheaper, helping more people. I have a better way of doing it. That competition only happens in competitive seats. In our country today, we do not have competitive seats. The reason we do not is because of partisan gerrymandering. This lawsuit today, this case being argued before the Supreme Court today, if the Supreme Court decides as we hope they gerrymanderingan is illegal, it will change the partisanship of this country and it will force americans to Work Together with each other to try and get things done on behalf of the people they serve. I want to thank the different groups that are of your for putting so much time, it is a long journey to get from where this started in wisconsin to this lawsuit with all the people organized like this. Do not underestimate how powerful you are by bringing this to the public attention. Please continue to educate people that bipartisan gerrymandering is destroying our country and making it overly partisan. Together we can make a difference but now we need the Supreme Court to help us. [crowd chanting] thank you, everybody. [applause] [crowd chanting] the politicians choose, voters always lose. [crowd chanting] please join me in welcoming [inaudible] representing issue one. [applause] how did that last one go . When politicians choose, the voters always lose. Is this a great day or what . Proud of standing here with a lot of organizations that are committed to ending political gerrymandering but i have a confession for everyone. I am a republican. I had the opportunity to serve in the house of representatives representing one of the most competitive Congressional Districts. I was elected twice in a district that barack obama had won twice and i will tell you if you want to fix gridlock might if you want to end the conversation of term limits, all we need are competitive districts. That would force congress to find a way together. I saw three major challenges, gerrymandering, the third being Campaign Finance reform. The court today has the opportunity to address political gerrymandering. At the end of the day, the court already has jurisdiction. They said they have jurisdiction to do that in the arizona case and now it is time to recognize that are limits they can put on political gerrymandering. It is what madison asked for in federalist x where he said the point and purpose of the house is due and excessive factions. We are governed today in a congress that is defined by excessive factions, we know. The people that loser all of us. The people that loser people asking for commonsense policies to address the concerns of the American People. And i want to say this as well we often approach this issue as , if it is punishment for elected officials or punishment for candidates, or punishment for Political Parties. Folks, this is not punishment, this is opportunity. Both parties will be made stronger if this court ends political gerrymandering. Candidates will be stronger if this court ends political gerrymandering because candidates will have to speak not only to their partisan interests, not only to their base, but also the third of Party Affiliates and those disenfranchised by the major parties. Also to voters that perhaps wish to come over and support a candidate. Both parties all candidates will , be made stronger. I saw a limited example of this and it is not prescient than today. We are coming off of a terrible disaster in nevada, a national tragedy. We also know that congress will not do a single thing about it. [booing] they are not because of how Congressional Districts are currently controlled. I represented a district in florida not far from the pulse nightclub. I came here last night while the democrats were having a sitin and i brokered a compromise. I believe we had to vote for it. A cnn anchor in the morning said that makes too much sense. Why will it not pass . I will tell you why. A bunch of younger, more centrist members reached a consensus on no fly, no buy. My side of the aisle said not a chance because of our base and the special interest money. The other side said not a chance. We are not working with jolly because he got redrawn into the district and it is ours. That is the breakdown of partisan gerrymandering in the house. When a nation cries out for solutions this body does , nothing. This court can change it. This court can fix that. Folks the bottom line is there , is absolutely zero conviction for bipartisanship in most of the districts in super majority districts. There is no reward for it. At the end of the day, you represent your party, your primary voters which constitute a minority of a minority. We the people are not governed by general election voters, we are governed by primary voters. This court has it opportunity in this case to say, yes, we are going to accept jurisdiction to protect democracy, and, yes, we are going to say there is a standard. Lets get it done. Is this a great day or what . Come on. [cheering] what do we want . Representation. What do we want . Representation. When do we want it . Now. Join me in welcoming our next speaker, Rachel Brewer of represent. Us. Ms. Brewer my name is Rachel Brewer, and i have the honor to represent us and all of the volunteers that make it worthwhile. Every day, we fight to fix the corrupt politicals system. A corrupt political system is a broken political system. When institutions designed to protect the Public Interest corrode and fail, when loopholes allow those in power to take advantage at our expense, that is corruption. And partisan gerrymandering is corruption in its simplest form. It is gaming the system so that party in power can keep it for years to come. This abuse of power by our government rigs the system against voters of all parties and it makes representation a very abstract concept. I know i am not the only one who is fed up with a system designed to protect people in positions of power no matter the cost. With all of you here today, i am ready and willing to rise up and to fight back. [cheers and applause] ms. Brewer together, we can demand an end to partisan gerrymandering and we can create a government that we deserve, one that represents the people and all of our voices. The court defines partisan gerrymandering as the drawing of legislative district lines to subordinate adherence of one Political Party and rival party power. Let me break it down to you. In the worst circumstances, gerrymandering is an abuse of power that reveals a fundamental distrust of voters. Not only does it take away power from the people, but it weakens the power of our actual votes and it weakens our faith in our government. It serves the selfinterest of the Political Parties and the political system all that the expense of the public good. But we deserve more. So today for the first time in nearly 15 years, the Supreme Court has the chance to end corrupt partisan gerrymandering. Were all here about to witness history, and we need to show loud enough for the courts to hear us, for our politicians to hear us, for history to hear us. We have a chance to see this unjust practice come to an end. We might see this country take a giant step forward towards fixing our corrupt political system and building a future that puts people first. And for everyone that is here today, you are not alone in this fight. Earlier this month, we heard from over 25,000 represent. Us members from red and blue states alike to all support us today and who all support this fight to end partisan gerrymandering. With each of them and every one of you here today, i came here with a chance to great real and lasting change. Just like you, i will not stop fighting until we can create a government where every vote and every voice will matter. So we are going to try chanting one more time. It will be new and a little different. When i say rise up. I want all of you to shout fight back. I want you to shout it for everyone who could not be here today. I want you to shout for the visionaries who came before us, for the reformers fighting alongside us, and the government that we will create together. I wan