America's gerrymandering civil war

What if you could map the outcome of an election before a single vote was cast?

This is the story of the drawing - and redrawing of electoral battle lines in an unprecedented gerrymandering war that some observers say is undermining democracy in the United States. BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher explores how a once-a-decade act of political admin has turned into a rolling process of extreme political partisanship, as the Democrats and Republicans compete to redraw voting districts in their favour, locking in guaranteed majorities, and upending electoral norms.

Anthony looks at the roots of this political chess game, how it has escalated in the past year, and what it means for the future of democracy in the ‘land of the free’.

Why are some onlookers calling this Jim Crow 2.0? Will the new maps actually secure a Republican victory in November? And how could endless map-drawing shape elections in 2028, 2030, and beyond?

**This episode contains some outdated racial language**

(Photo: A protester holds up a placard showing the US electoral map and voting lines. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Presenter: Anthony Zurcher
Producer: Ellie House
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound engineer: James Beard
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith