75% of the Congressional seats are fixed due to gerrymandering. What is gerrymandering? It's where politicians manipulate Congressional District boundaries to gain an advantage for their political party. Both parties are guilty of it - Democrats and Republicans alike (as illustrated below). The boundaries of the district are usually irregular shapes that include core constituencies and leave dissenting voters in the minority. Due to this, there is no true "swing votes," and the Congressmen have no reason to compromise whatsoever.
Tom Brokaw's take on the election process sums it up well.
Here are some examples of gerrymandering from both parties:
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| Texas' District 22 - created from a controversial 2003 redistricting plan for former House Leader Tom DeLay |
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| North Carolina's 12th congressional district An example of packing. The district has predominantly African-American residents who vote for Democrats. |
