Every ten years, Americans brace themselves for a political spectacle that plays out not in town halls or debates, but in back rooms and courtrooms: redistricting. This process, which is supposed to ensure fair representation, has devolved into a cynical game where politicians carve up neighborhoods like pieces of pie to guarantee their own reelection.

We are seeing it unfold once again in Texas, California, and across the country. Whichever party is in power manipulates district lines to entrench its incumbents, silence opposition, and make elections meaningless. It has become a bipartisan sport, with Republicans and Democrats alike guilty of protecting their own.

But here’s the truth most politicians won’t admit: gerrymandering is just a symptom. The deeper disease is the culture of careerism in Congress. Incumbents who stay in Washington for decades will always find ways to tilt the playing field. That’s why America needs congressional term limits.

Today, out of 435 seats in the U.S. House, only 27 or 28 are considered genuine toss-ups. That means more than 90 percent of congressional elections are essentially decided before voters even walk into the voting booth.

Think about that. In the world’s oldest constitutional republic, where free and fair elections are supposed to be our bedrock, fewer than 30 House races nationwide are truly competitive. For most Americans, the outcome in their district is a foregone conclusion. Gerrymandering has locked them out.

This is not what the Founders intended. Our system was built on the idea of citizen legislators — men and women who would serve for a season, represent their neighbors, and then return to private life. Instead, we now have politicians who treat their seats like lifetime appointments, using every trick in the book to preserve their careers.

Gerrymandering is the tool, but incumbency is the problem. Once politicians get comfortable in Washington, they begin to see their district not as a community they serve, but as turf they own. District maps become weapons to protect themselves and their friends.

The result is a Congress that looks less like a representative body and more like a private club. Senior members hold onto power for decades, becoming more responsive to special interests, lobbyists, and party bosses than to the people who elected them. And because their districts are safe, they rarely face serious competition.

Pennsylvania knows this story all too well. Our state has been the epicenter of multiple high-profile redistricting battles, with maps challenged and overturned in the courts. Each time, politicians promise reform. Each time, voters are left with the same frustration: the system is rigged to benefit those already in power.

Term limits are the one reform that directly addresses the root of the problem. If members of Congress knew their time in Washington was limited, they would have no incentive to gerrymander, no reason to cling to power at all costs, and no ability to build the kind of entrenched political machines that corrupt the system.

Instead, they would be forced to focus on what matters: serving the people, solving problems, and delivering results before returning home. Term limits would break the cycle of careerism, bring fresh voices and new ideas into the system, and restore accountability.

Most importantly, term limits would return power to the people. Voters wouldn’t have to rely on politicians to draw “fair” maps — they would know that, sooner or later, every seat would open up and every voice would have a chance to be heard.

Some reforms divide Americans. Term limits unite us. Polls consistently show overwhelming, bipartisan support. Republicans, Democrats, and independents all agree that Washington is broken and that politicians should not be allowed to serve for life.

In Pennsylvania, support is sky-high. Voters across the political spectrum understand instinctively that power corrupts, and unlimited power corrupts absolutely. They know that Congress, left unchecked, will always put self-preservation ahead of public service.

This isn’t about left or right. It’s about right and wrong. And it’s about whether our government will continue to serve the people — or whether it will remain a closed club for career politicians.

The gerrymandering battles in Texas, California, and elsewhere have made one thing clear: as long as incumbents control the rules, the rules will always favor incumbents. Reforming maps is necessary, but it will never be enough. The only way to break the stranglehold of career politicians is to enact congressional term limits.

As State Chairs for U.S. Term Limits here in Pennsylvania, we see firsthand the frustration of voters who feel powerless and voiceless in a system stacked against them. We hear it from Republicans in rural counties and Democrats in our cities. People want their government back.

It’s time to deliver. By passing a constitutional amendment for term limits, we can finally restore the principle that government exists to serve the people — not the politicians.

Gerrymandering proves our elections are broken. Term limits are how we fix them.

Contributed article