AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gerrymandering isn’t a game — unless you mean “Mapmaker,” the board game created by an Austin high school student — which he delivered to members of Congress on Tuesday.
The game high school senior Josh Lafair created with his two siblings, allows players to manipulate fictional congressional districts to favor their political party.
He gifted the game to members of congress on Tuesday, a delivery which included the Supreme Court — who incidentally heard oral arguments on Tuesday about a Maryland congressional redistricting case.
According to Lafair:
“Unfortunately, gerrymandering has all the right mechanics of a board game. There is scheming, there is strategizing, there is backstabbing — which is sad, but true. We want them to know that gerrymandering affects real people and real districts all across the country.”
Lafair says he hopes party leaders get the message before the next redistricting in 2021.
“You shouldn’t sit down at a table and try to win,” Lafair said. “You should sit down at the table and negotitate and try to draw the best map possible.”
