Obama introduces new initiative in fight against gerrymandering

Former President Obama on Monday announced a new initiative in a campaign to combat partisan gerrymandering. 

“Training is at the heart of organizing. It’s why I’ve always made it a priority – from my 2008 campaign until now,” Obama said in a tweet announcing Redistricting U, part of the All on the Line campaign.

Redistricting U will send trainers throughout the country to offer free, in-person instruction and help to volunteers involved in the redistricting process in states.{mosads}

According to the campaign’s website, the initiative is being pushed to empower individuals to “be leaders in the movement for fair maps.”

“The movement for fair maps will determine the course of progress on every issue we care about for the next decade,” Obama said. “And we can’t wait to begin organizing when the redistricting process starts in 2021. We need to build this movement from the ground up – right now.” 

Training is at the heart of organizing. It’s why I’ve always made it a priority – from my 2008 campaign until now. And it’s why I’m proud to announce @allontheline’s in-person training initiative, Redistricting U. Join us: https://t.co/yrWJ50wSdE pic.twitter.com/HiKvGd2XyE

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 26, 2019

The All on The Line campaign, which was launched earlier this year, began after Organizing for Action, a group founded by former Obama aides, teamed up with the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF), an organization started by former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder. 

Holder and Obama have become outspoken proponents for reforming how congressional and legislative maps are drawn. In July 2018, Obama said that “rethinking the way we draw our congressional districts” is vital to American democracy, adding that partisan gerrymandering had made political debates more extreme.