The nation’s attention is currently on the ongoing redistricting fight between Republicans and Democrats. The conversation is being framed: “Donald Trump is doing this.” “Gavin Newsom is doing that.” However, what voters are missing is the context of how we got here.

Gerrymandering is nothing new. It is getting more attention now because of how loud Donald Trump has been about it and because of the razor-thin majority that will decide which party controls Congress after the 2026 midterms.

But what voters are witnessing is nothing new – just the latest escalation in a zero-sum contest for power between two private political corporations: The Republican and Democratic Parties.

A closer look at the history of US elections shows the path the dominant political parties paved to get us to this point, including decades of manipulating the rules in party primaries, voter access, gerrymandering, and more to put their interests above the voting rights of citizens.

IVN produced a video explaining the mechanisms the two parties have put in place to elevate partisan advantage over accountable, responsive, and equal representation. Watch it above and understand how the 2025 redistricting fight was inevitable under two-party control.