The recent outcome of a redistricting referendum in Virginia should be a national wake-up call for the use of gerrymandering, which allows politicians to choose their voters over their representatives. The article suggests that when district lines are engineered to predict outcomes, elections become less about persuasion and more about protection. The author argues that Congress has the authority to set standards for federal elections, including how congressional districts are drawn, and there is a path forward that does not favor one party over another. These include mandating independent redistricting commissions for federal districts, requiring transparency in the map-drawing process, and establishing clear, neutral criteria such as compactness, continuity and respect for communities of interest.