Forgive me for having an extremely negative reaction to the thoughts of Jim Fossel on redistricting, expressed in his Feb. 4 column.

My problem, and I am not alone, is that I am highly suspicious of any redistricting approach at this point. This strategy has been used so often and so blatantly to undermine democracy. I strongly believe that the voice of the people should be heard, and that we need to have elected officials who are answerable to the majority of their electorate.

I can’t see redistricting as a solution because it has been, and continues to be, so susceptible to partisanship – and here I am not pointing a finger at either side of the political aisle. There are other solutions, such as the National Popular Vote plan, for example, which tie the electoral votes to the popular vote. For all voters, this should represent an improvement over the current rigged system.

Let’s explore these alternate approaches rather than repeating the mistakes of the past.

Karen Wilcock

Falmouth