Recently, the P&G wrote an article advocating for a non-partisan commission to help combat the gerrymandering in Missouri. It had excellent scholarship with commentary from Dr. Terry Smith from Columbia College. It is essential for young (and old) readers not to forget the recent political history of this particular topic, specifically the failure of Missouri’s political leaders to honor the will of the people. The Clean Missouri Act was an incredible step toward fair representation in our great state. Passed by 62% of Missourians in 2020, it reflected a desire to curb the ever-influential disease of partisan politics. However, the subsequent repeal of the act, manipulated through misleading language, demonstrated a disgusting indifference to democratic principles.

Missouri’s politicians, particularly those who predicted they would lose power by creating a fairer system, will never have accountability. By ignoring a clear message from voters, they undermined the most critical and fragile pillar of a democratic- republic: trust. They chose to prioritize polarization and party interests over the common good. These affronts on our systems that clearly serve to benefit a faction are demoralizing and slowly chip away at my spirit.

The call for a commission is sound. This idea has persisted with no solution because strategizing forces are actively working to not give citizens a fair shake in their self-government. Limits on power are what define western legal traditions. When the people of Missouri made their decision known, elected officials with party guidance deliberately worked against the people’s will. If Missouri’s leaders were sincerely committed to serving the public they claim to represent, they failed to prove it. True representation demands more than just rhetoric; it requires integrity and a commitment to the principles that all people deserve a fair shake. Politicians lie while they think of only the next election. That is to be expected. True statesmen/stateswomen think of the next generation. I hope that the next time the P&G writes about gerrymandering, it is because those who were about to lose power and make Missouri a less divided place somehow discovered what true civic virtue looks like.

Marcus McGuinn
Columbia, MO.
AP Government and Civics Honors teacher