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Why Kansas And Missouri Gerrymandering Continues

Kenneth Ford, with Freedom Inc., encourages people vote early Tuesday morning at the intersection of Swope Parkway and Prospect Avenue. Ford and a small group of volunteers were moving from location to location throughout the city to spread the message.
Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3
Individual state control of drawing congressional districts can dilute the power of some voters by creating districts that favor one political party over another.

How did drawing congressional districts become such a political battle?

In the months to come, the state legislatures in Kansas and Missouri will begin the once-a-decade process of redistricting. Gerrymandering is the latest evolutionary iteration of voter suppression. It isn't unique to the United States, but the control states have over the procedure makes the undertaking inherently more political here.

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Mackenzie Martin is a senior podcast producer at KCUR Studios and host of the podcast, A People's History of Kansas City. Contact her at mackenzie@kcur.org.
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