Many underlying factors come to play within each election inside the realm of our democracy. With or without the general public’s knowledge, a multitude of silent killers can and will tip the scale to ensure a consistent and predictable outcome. One of these factors hides right under our noses: gerrymandering. With the current regulations set forth by our government, gerrymandering is a common practice and has been throughout the history of our nation. Through carefully drawn district lines, different parties can inflict damage upon a representative democracy by ensuring non-competitive elections. These non-competitive elections ultimately result in one thing: the insurance of the same parties/people maintaining the same power despite the will of the people. An idea that actively goes against the idealogy of our country’s foundation. Gerrymandering, historically, has also been used to dilute the voices of minorities and lower-class communities. This remains true today even though there are amendments in place to combat this, like the Equal Protection Clause in the fourteenth amendment and the voting protections listed in the fifteenth amendment. District lines can be drawn to place more diverse communities into areas where those votes will be suppressed by a larger majority or lumped into one district which cannot maintain the majority. Thus actively continuing systemic racism within the USA but also denying the outcomes citizens vote for. Despite the lack of drive to fix this issue, there is a multitude of possible solutions to minimize the effects of Gerrymandering. In a majority of states, political parties control how the district lines are drawn. The system could benefit from a check and balance system, similar to the ones we see within our federal government. Where line redistricting must be approved by a select and diverse committee, with members from each party.

Last night at roughly 7:30 pm, my parents stepped through our front door and lay a copy of the West Branch Times down in front of me. The beige, borderline gray, pages with bleeding ink stared up at me with eyes fashioned out of daft photographs. "Have I ever told you that I'm proud of you?" My mom asked, placing her hand in between my shoulder blades, drumming her fingertips along the plane of my back. "Well, go on! Flip to page seven." Page seven of the local newspaper holds a dedicated spot for the chosen student of the week. Sat in the right-hand corner of the lengthy page was one of my senior photos and my responses to a survey I recently filled out. An oddly emotional testament of my hard work and my dedication to my education sat right before me. When one of the staff members at my high school approached me at lunch and told me of this new accomplishment, I have to admit that it was shocking. Yes, my student body is a smaller size, but that didn't change the fact that several highly qualified students also deserved that title. Why me? And why did this mundane award fill me with so much pride? It was because of one detail that I only now started to understand. The reason it meant so much to me was that I fought tooth and nail for my accomplishments. When I was growing up, every parent-teacher conference was the same. The same saying reiterated like a practicing sonnet, each production taking on a new tone to match each new actor. "Ellie is a joy to have in class," that would invariably be the start of the corresponding message. "but she doesn't understand the material we're trying to teach her. She's a hard worker, but we can't seem to breakthrough." That became the defining characteristic of my scholastic career. Hardworking. Not a title I had out of want, but out of necessity. Even in elementary school, I knew no one was going to come along and magically make me succeed. The only person who could make me improve was myself. So, with some encouragement from my family, I flipped the switch into overdrive and got to work. It started with games to help me learn my multiplication tables, those summer-school books you can find on the back shelf of Barns and Noble, and finding books that encouraged me to read. Then it slowly turned into me taking practice timed tests to lower stress when school required them. I began to read and write outside assignments, not just for entertainment but to hone in on the craft. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears but, eventually, I found my stride. My grades slowly started climbing as I went from a low ranking student to an average one. My reading comprehension scores throughout middle school took me from the bottom to the top. As the tides were turning, I found my passion for learning. I also learned how to take responsibility for my education. When I entered High School, I became focused on keeping this path of development going. I not only became dedicated to my studies but also the few extracurricular activities I joined. I worked strenuously to prove myself to my peers and mentors. No matter how many tests I failed, I never forfeited and continued working to earn every achievement that came my way. I didn't have the advantage of being naturally gifted that the other "smart" kids did. I couldn't afford to slack off because if I did, I wouldn't pass. I finally felt afloat for the first time in years, and there was no way I was going to give that up. Now, I stand on the brink of graduation. I have numerous ideas of how I'll use my drive to make immense changes in the world. I'm exploring my potential career as a lawyer with various law classes and analyzing how our government operates. I'm in the process of applying for different scholarships and honors programs for my top colleges. Though I don't know what I'm going to major in, I know I won't fail to rise to the occasion. While in college, I plan on studying for my LSAT because preparation is the first step to achievement. After I graduate college, I'll further my education at law school, and hopefully, get to partake in some internships to get a feel for the profession. I want to possibly take a government position, either at the state or federal level. Someday I would like to hold a seat in Congress and fight for people that struggle. I want to fight for civil liberties because we all aren't equal yet. I want to fight against discrimination based on gender and or sexuality. I want to ultimately assist students to afford college because knowledge shouldn't only be for the wealthy. I aspire to advocate for more affordable health care because no one should go bankrupt to live. I want to create change for the better because thousands of people have had their voices stolen. I know where I want to go, and I know how I'm going to get there. No matter what challenges manifest, I will continue to work and fight to prove myself. I will not let myself fail because I didn't come this far to disappoint anyone. I am the only thing I can control in this world, and I refuse to squander any more opportunities. I won't be able to rest for a while, but the payoff will make it worth it.