GerryRIGGED: Turning Democracy On Its Head

The Community Idea Stations and  OneVirginia2021 are joining forces to produce a statewide public television documentary,  GerryRIGGED: Turning Democracy On Its Head. This one-hour documentary will bring awareness to the impact of gerrymandering, and explore how Virginia can progress from a system where legislators create their own districts toward a system that makes sense for true representative government.

Gerrymandering is the deliberate manipulation of legislative district boundaries for political gain. In Virginia, both Democrats and Republicans have engaged in this practice to distort the electoral process, promote the party in power, and turn competitive districts into non-competitive ones. The Washington Post has called ending gerrymandering “the biggest ethics issue facing the state.”

GerryRIGGED: Turning Democracy On Its Head will examine the historical context and consequences of gerrymandering through a multi-partisan lens that includes Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians and the Tea Party. The documentary will explore the impact on communities and individual lives by including testimonials from strategists, political consultants, and map drawers, and by incorporating interviews with the men and women in politics who have the most to win – and perhaps lose – through reform.

“Gerrymandering is the enemy of representative government. It deliberately manipulates the system to take away from voters the very choice that should be a hallmark of our system,” says program producer  William Oglesby. “We hope with this documentary to help citizens understand that this isn’t the way it has to be; that the voters have a right to choose their representatives rather than the representatives choose them.”

There will be free public screenings of the film all over Virginia! Check the list below to find a screening near you.

 

Tuesday, October 25th –  Fredericksburg
6:30pm
Germanna Community College
10000 Germanna Point Dr, Fredericksburg, VA 22408

Wednesday, October 26th –  Fredericksburg
7:30pm
University of Mary Washington’s
Digital Auditorium of the Hurley Convergence Center
1801 College Ave, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Tuesday, November 1st –  Williamsburg

6:00pm
Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre
515 Scotland St, Williamsburg, VA 23185

Tuesday, November 1st –  Manassas

6:00pm
Manassas 4 Cinema
8890 Mathis Ave, Manassas, VA 20110

Thursday, November 3rd –  Martinsville

6:00pm
Rives Theatre
215 E Church St, Martinsville, VA 24112

Sunday, November 6th –  Richmond

5:30pm
Weinstein JCC
Israel November Auditorium
5403 Monument Ave, Richmond, VA 23226

(We are working on additional showings of GerryRIGGED and would love your help!  If you’re interested in showing this and having a conversation about redistricting reform, please email us at  director@onevirginia2021.org .)    

Showing on your local PBS station

Tuesday, October 18th –  WBRA Roanoke – 7:00pm

Sunday, October 23rd –  WHRO Norfolk at 7:00pm

Monday, October 24th –  WHUT Howard (D.C.) – 9:00am
Monday, October 24th –  WHTJ Charlottesville – 9:00pm
Monday, October 24th –  WCVE Richmond – 9:00pm

Thursday, October 27th –  WCVW Richmond – 8:00pm
Thursday, October 27th –  WVPT Harrisonburg – 8:00pm

Monday, October 30th –  WHUT Howard (D.C.) – 7:00pm