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dimonium_anonimo t1_iuiqejo wrote

Reply to comment by bloodalchemy in eli5 What is gerrymandering? by Robert-Connorson

The strong incentive is that they should ideally be voting for what their constituents want. And most people want fair voting.

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Artemis__ t1_iuir84y wrote

Yes, ideally is the problem here. Once in power, many people tend to want to stay in power. You think you're doing the right thing, so it should be you staying in power and not the other person. Additionally, you can take bribes… I mean donations… to increase your income, as long as you are in power!

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bloodalchemy t1_iuiy9kb wrote

Ideally that's true. And I'm sure for some individuals it is how they act.

In general politicians vote for things that keep themselves in power, which means avoiding things that piss the public off enough for them to take action. If the public is annoyed but doesn't actually do anything the politicians are safe to continue doing what they want.

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