Independent redistricting panels aim to draw fairer maps but still invite controversy

The decreasing competitiveness of races nationwide, said Simone Leeper, who is legal counsel for redistricting with the Campaign Legal Center, "is a sign that politicians are carefully selecting their voters in a way that makes them have safe seats." In terms of naked partisanship, this cycle has pushed the limits, in part, she said, because the Supreme Court "essentially handed many states a free pass." "That's something that we are going to be fighting in state courts to the best of our ability," she said. "But that is a threat that we knew was present, and that the Supreme Court was warned would come to pass -- and it is now."

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