Gerrymandering: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) 

Michigan overwhelmingly passed Prop 1 to end Gerrymandering. Betsy DeVos spent several million dollars of her own cash to fight the proposal. It was a win win. Her effort failed and it cost her a buttload of cash.

Am from Africa, i think this is best show in the world... I never knew i can learn this much from a comedian

3:19 “...Broken politics can be pretty rough... but that move was gangsta.” -Rep. Hakeem Jefferies -legit

My father ran for a local office and came pretty close to winning. Coincidentally we were also drawn out of the district before the next election.

Why can't we just have 13 districts based on their resource specialty. Then one main capital region to manage the districts. That is a perfect plan!

I love how comedy shows these days are doing a better a job than major news stations at covering political and social issues here in America.

I’ve watched so much John Oliver recently that my inner thoughts are in his voice

It is amazing to me that John Oliver said "Everyone should get a say in government" and five thousand plus people somehow disliked that sentiment

The more I learn about the american election system, the more baffled I become.

I really respect that John will throw Democrats under the bus, too. It's not about sides, it's about policies. The US has a lot of defective POLICIES which need improvement, regardless of which side abuses them more. For example, don't have all of your voting based on landmass.

I'm still kinda puzzled by the idea of having just two political parties... I mean who do you vote for if you don't like neither of them?

Well, gerrymanding is apparently fine now. Thanks Supreme Court! Glad to see American """"Democracy"""" is alive and well!

This video is so very important, regardless of which party you identify with. If you're a democrat, you're probably pissed about gerrymandering now. But as a republican, you should be pissed if things switch in favor of democrats. As a members of the United States, you should be pissed that the system is favoring one side or the other.

"So how do you know whether your district was gerrymandered?" I live in North Carolina. That's how.

"A map that churns out republicans like Ann Romney" is a joke that still lands in 2020 lol

"Donald's Trump's tweets will be a threat to our democracy" Me: *chuckles nervously in October 2020*

No offence, but I just don't get it! Between the presidential elections where the popular vote means nothing and this. How much can you still call this system democratic?

"Mommy, why is our district shaped like a swastika?"

This episode made me realize that in "Parks and Recreation", Gerry's name being mistaken so many times was a deeply seeded political pun.. Thanks for that one John xD

Ive learned so much about illegal goverment actions from john Oliver. They should teach this stuff in school.

I like how John Oliver doesn't always talk only about Trump like other talk show hosts do. He focuses on other topics that are interesting, but don't have as much exposure.

"But that move was gangsta" 😭😭😭😭

"First, that's racist," is the one of the most hilarious lines from this segment lls

Slayed me at 11:12, "water is warm today. Enjoy your swim." oh!

I let John Oliver tell me about things I've heard passed around but was too bored or lazy to learn much about. (Usually politics.) Thank you John, for tricking me into educating myself.

why is that no one ever thinks a system dominated by 2 parties might be a problem?

I don’t know how American still go around claiming their country is the most democratic, I think we Australia have a far more fair and efficient system when it come to representation, and we never try to rub it on other’s face!

I hope most natural citizens of America realize how much Mr. Oliver truly loves this country. Big fan. If you're watching this, you already are as well.

Jesus Christ, American democracy is a fucking joke. And I say this as an Italian, so my standards are already pretty low.

What the hell even is American politics?

I have a radical idea: whatever percentage of people who vote for someone get that percentage!

I never realized how much funnier the show is with the audience....Come baaack 🥺🥺🥺

So can we all agree that there should be a federal law against Gerrymandering?

The speech at the end was awesome!

"We should all be relevant...that's the point of this country." Yes, John, that's definitely the point of that country.

As a Greek, I cringe when I hear John describe Chobani as a "Greek export", given that it's an American brand started by a Kurdish man in New York. The word "Chobani" itself is Turkish. Just because you like to call that stuff "Greek" doesn't mean it is, and in fact I can assure you our dairy products blow that processed garbage out of the water.

Not sure why I look at the comments. It's always a narcissistic superiority competition. Congratulations, you're objectively better than a stranger on the internet.

Why divide districts at all? In the Netherlands we just count the votes and divide it between seats of parliament. It's the fairest system

"Americans don't live in squares" So where do you live? Oh, you know, a few blocks from here...

Spoiler alert; the Supreme court said gerrymandering for partisan reasons is pretty much okay by claiming that it's not a federal issue.

Can someone please tell me something that is genuinely good about the US voting system? Pretty much each and every step seems to be shit based upon the infrastructure nearly two centuries ago when people had to ride around on horseback to share a message.

It's sad when a British man is more American proud sounding than an American

I know it's many years later but I just want to say that the funniest part is that springtime genuinely is the worst season for historic carousels😂

Anyone else come here from the Census episode?😂

This is why I'm glad that in Canada, at least for federal and provincial elections, voter districts are drawn by a nonpartisan independent organization

I learn more from John Oliver than I ever have at school.

I disagree with John Oliver often (because I am right wing) but he is the only comedian on mainstream media who is actually funny and I respect that.

I have always found your monologues to be informative while being well-crafted and funny. But this one takes the "earmuff" cake!!! It is hilarious, informative and above all eye opening. Hopefully, this will allow misinformed people on the topic to take stock, remember they still live in a democracy and go out to vote like they never did before. 🇨🇦❤️👍🏾

As a GIS professional, we have AAALLLLL the data and ability in the world to make perfectly bipartisan districts. We just need someone to make them. How much are you willing to pay me?

This is, in my opinion, the biggest problem with our (America's) democracy. Sure, the electoral college is poorly made but it in no way disenfranchises people so blatantly or to the degree that gerrymandering does.... Republican or democrat, if you support real American values of fairness and freedom, you should oppose this.

This is why I keep watching John Oliver. Every person's vote should count and be counted equally, no matter their views, no matter their history, no matter their choices. For my vote to mean anything, so must theirs-- even if I disagree with them. That's what democracy needs to work.

Who would have thought I'd be watching this 3 year later and yearning for the good ole days.

Maybe I am missing something here, but why do we need districts? Why not look at the stats as a whole? If a state votes 44% blue, then why not give them 44% of the seats?

Everytime I see LastWeekTonight I think that the American political system is pretty messed up.

There will be no Cinco de Mayo tweet, John, or any other tweet. I will now chuckle in the form of permanent suspension. *Muahahha*

At 5:07, it shows that Iowa has their districts drawn by legislators: This is inaccurate. Iowa is the only state that has theirs drawn by an independent commission.

America's political system is so fucked up it hurts.

The end of this was a more patriotic speech than any I heard in the presidential election by far.

I typically stay away from political stuff but a man from Poland told me I should watch this when I realised he knew more about my own country than I did, I don't know you name or if you'll see this comment, but thank you

They don’t teach you all this is high school. This is insane!

In New Zealand electoral boundaries are done by an independent Electoral Commission to avoid gerrymandering. Gerrymandering in any form is a crime here because it's seen as only one step below vote rigging. Boundary drawing in New Zealand also take into consideration communities of interest. In other words they try to avoid dividing communities but if a town or city is too big they prefer to put the boundaries along a major highway or a natural feature like a river. Electoral boundaries can also be challenged by both politicians and voters to ensure fairness. No method of electoral boundary drawing will get rid of districts (or what we call electorates) being dominated by a particular party but having the boundaries drawn by politicians is effectively election rigging in all but name, no matter what the politicians claim. I should add that Electoral Commission staff are not allowed to be members of political parties or serving or former politicians.

Everybody’s vote should count equally huh? Talk to Electoral College about that!

I used to gasp at my friends who told me that they don’t vote. I’d be like - “WHAT?!?! “YOU DONT.?!” They’d say - “who cares, it’s not like my vote matters or anything.” Then ...... I’d excitedly try to explain to them why it DOES in fact matter. HOWEVER, in doing so...... I explained the whole electoral process.. THEY’D SAY “See bro? I told you it doesn’t matter.” I’D SAY😔 “$hit...... I uh..... guess you’re right dude.... Pass the salt.”

And... The supreme court decision just made Gerrymandering a lot easier/have less consequences.

Honestly I loved that last part in the end!!! Everyone voice should be heard NO MATTER WHAT!!!

Everytime when I watch his Show, I am glad to life in Germany.

i'm fascinated by the fact that the "US-multi-party" democracy is basically a two-party-dictatorship and everyone has silently accepted that. with the rise of identity/group politics in the last decade or two, i do not understand how there's still basically just two parties to vote for.

As a lifelong resident of Iowa, this state is boring other than the massive amount of Methamphetamine usage, the corrupt prison system, alcoholic judges, and pathetic public education system.

In Australia, we have an independent commission, the AEC, to draw our federal electorates to avoid this problem. Same for all our states; I'm from Victoria, and it's the VEC that handles it. It works; we've never really had any problems with gerrymandering. Also, preference voting is pretty great too at avoiding some of these problems. We've had that for almost 100 years.

gerrymandering needs a darker name

A letter I wrote recently to my Senator in regards on how to make everyone's vote matter the same: The reason why I’m writing to you today is on the topic, no doubt with the midterm election coming up later this year, how the government no longer has this nation's best interest at heart anymore. That the previous President was elected not by the majority, but by the Electoral College. However, if each Presidents were chosen by the popular vote or every state counted as only one in the election, than inevitably one state would matter more or someone’s vote would mean less. It comes down to equal voters rights. The foundation of this democracy is based on how everybody’s vote should matter the same as the next. The only solution we’ve been able to find is in the Electoral College. It isn’t perfect, with things like swing states, but it’s the only way we’ve found so far. If it meant making some fundamental changes to our governmental structure, would you do so in order to dispose of it? In all states, there is one governor, selected directly by the people. If in another election, regardless of whatever party the governor was, if two-thirds of the people elected differently, the governor should cast the vote that way. Thus, why each state would count as only one in the election. If the governor doesn't abide by their constituents? Impeachment. A way of getting rid of political gerrymandering? Have the census draw up the district lines. They know the whereabouts of the citizens best and would be able to distribute the voters more fairly into districts. In an interview with PBS News Hour Weekend, Former State Representative David Lewis stated “If I felt there were any way in the world that I could stand before my constituents and say ‘I believe that it’s possible to come up with a group of people who have no political bias whatsoever, who will simply sit down in a room and magically create districts, I’d be behind it. I’d be behind it 100%’ but those people don’t exist.” Apparently, here's a way possible, and his fellow colleagues should be behind it as well. The core of our great Constitution was the Separation of Powers: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. The system of checks and balances; unique in that it kept one branch from holding power over the others. Our Congress is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Even though a bill might make it past the House, it must receive two-thirds in the Senate in order to proceed to the President. If it’s vetoed by the President, it can be overturned only by obtaining two-thirds in both the House and the Senate. Why isn’t there a system to keep Congress in check? If everybody’s vote is meant to count equally, as it should, why doesn't the House have the same power as the Senate? The voice of the people should be the one to keep things in balance; two-third of the population deciding the outcome of their one vote. If the President vetoes a law? Then it’s put to two-thirds vote between the House, the Senate, and the People. The President doesn’t get to choose what laws pass in this nation; it states simply they’re only responsible for their implementation and execution. I hope this may offer some amount of help.

If I had a "Single Transferable Vote" I'd give it to your reporting John, Thanks.

What sort of democracy allows the party in government to draw the boundary lines of the electoral districts? Won't the government rig the boundary lines to give itself an unfair advantage? Of course they will. So in advanced democracies, the drawing of electoral lines is entrusted to an electoral commission which is apolitical. But not in America? The mind boggles!!!!!!

The little old lady at the end is adorable.

I love that the balls were blue in the map sectioning bit. Hehehehehe 😁

The amount of research involved in making this video is supremely outstanding!

this is what's happens when you have a two party system , everything get rigged to fuck!!!!!

This is a problem that needs to be fixed... Real Americans need to STAND UP TO THIS MESS!!!.

We had to learn about gerrymandering in my civics class, but I’m probably the only person who actually payed attention because we were only required to write the definition and move on. My dad was surprised when I brought it up saying “ isn’t this illegal, it sounds illegal”. When I talked about it someone literally said “ that isn’t a thing, shut up.” That was the only other kid to get an A on the quiz

One of the best night show closings ever. 😁🤣😊

+LastWeekTonight can you do a segment on the famine in Yemen and East Africa. The UN described it as possibly the worst humanitarian crisis since WW2 and it doesn't seem to be getting any coverage in the mainstream media.

every time I watch this show I'm happy to live in Germany

Gerrymandering was also the reason why my country (Malaysia) managed to keep its already-widely-known-corrupted Prime Minister in power during the 2014 general election. The opposition party received popular vote count of 50.87% but the ruling government retained its power all because they had more winning seats by 133 (state government) vs 89 (opposition)

Wait.... do they think the US is a democracy?? 😂😂😂

John Oliver deserves an Emmy. Now.

Crazy old president, districs, walls... Are you guys trying to get your own Hunger Games?

The grandma at the end was so adorable 😂

There's a game called Berrymandering which uses actual physical tiles to teach people about gerrymandering. You can also buy two sets and combine them! It's really fun and kind of cute, so it's a little bit for kids by being about berries but adults who like board games find it fun, too. I highly recommend it!

Well, the biggest reason why gerrymandering is such a big deal in US politics is because the electoral system is 99.999% first-past-the-post, which is a system so ancient it should only belong in a museum. If you take a look at more advanced electoral systems such as those in Germany or Australia you can quickly realize that by capping district voting with national-level proportional representation (Germany); or by allowing preferential voting (Australia), you will get much better results. I am no American so I can't firmly tell why the system has not been changed already. But my guess is that it's the same reason why the Imperial System is still in used today even though it also is an ancient system that simply does no good in the modern world - Americans are too proud of themselves to admit that they are wrong or admit that some other countries are doing things better than they do.

Proportional voting and just a more parliamentary system of electing our officials would work much better.

John Oliver is a national treasure.

Damn i really should've watched more John Oliver when I was still taking History and Government classes. I remember a decent amount from the classes, but he makes it funny and even more memorable.

Sadly, that joke about the pen running out of ink isnt a joke. It's the actual reason that we, that is the British, didn't draw the border between Pakistan and India into the Kashmir and consequently why Indian soldiers, Pakistani soldiers and militants are fighting there.

John Oliver has helped fill the endless hole in my heart since Jon Stewart retired. Another great bit!

Perhaps relevant to the discussion, two versions of that graph strongly resemble the imperial rank badges from Star wars.

By far the best explanation of Gerrymandering, although I can't show this to my high school students! too many dicks references! I could receive tons of complaints from their parents!

That was obviously the sweetest grandmother in the world. she was trying to scowl and and look angry... she just couldn't.

Phillip defraco said this was worth watching...so true. Guess I have a new show to watch each week

I find John Oliver's show very fascinating and entertaining. What strike's me the most is that an immigrant is explaining the nuances of American politics to the world. Not only is he making you laugh but also creating informed viewers as well. Go figure. Keep it up JO!

You are, in point of fact, one-hundred percent correct, sir: yes, you are right. Keep ‘em flyin’, boyo!