Tribune editorial: Gerrymandering? Utah has been there, done that.

Republicans in Texas are engaged in a blatant effort to gerrymander their state’s congressional districts in hopes of keeping their party in control of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 elections.

In retaliation, leaders in blue states such as New York, California and Illinois are eyeing their own gerrymandering campaigns, favoring Democrats.

To which, weary Utah voters can only say, Been there. Done that. Filed the lawsuit.

Knowing that the word “gerrymandering” was drawn from the name of Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts in 1812 — who signed a bill that drew salamander-shaped representative districts favorable to his own party — tells us how long this has been a problem in American politics.

Texas Republicans are openly going to the extreme of drawing new districts now, not following the traditional path of waiting until after the 2030 census.

Some Democrats are calling foul and, often accused by their own supporters of being too reticent in their opposition to President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, looking to fight fire with fire.

Gerrymandering, for the advantage of any party, any ethnic group, any religion or any other group, is undemocratic. It ought to be illegal. Everywhere.

Utah, of course, is just as blatantly gerrymandered as a small state can be. The Republican super-majority purposely cracked Salt Lake County over four separate districts, ensuring that the Democratic-leaning majority of that community would have no voice in our congressional delegation.

In the process, lawmakers brutally set aside the Better Boundaries Initiative approved by the voters in 2018. That was a move to create an independent, nonpartisan panel that would draw legislative and congressional districts that were compact and kept communities of interest together.

A lawsuit challenging the Legislature’s right to void that citizen initiative has won enough support from the state’s judiciary, up to and including the Utah Supreme Court, that Better Boundaries may yet carry the day.

The argument that it helps Salt Lake City to have four members of Congress to run to for help is bogus. It only makes sense if the purpose of a member of Congress is only to bring home the bacon — grants or other appropriations.

As it stands, the many Utahns who believe in the preservation of public lands, humane immigration policies, public education, environmental protection, racial and gender equality and other principles have had their values deliberately excluded from any representation in Congress.

This partisan district-drawing also ignores the fact that it would benefit Utah to have at least one member of each major party in its delegation, if only to have someone in the room when decisions are made.

California has an independent panel to draw its congressional districts. The fact that Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom is looking at abandoning that model demonstrates that it is a useful means of taking partisanship out of that core democratic process.

California should keep that independent model. Utah should have it.

Editorials represent the opinions of The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board, which operates independently from the newsroom.