The 2026 redistricting battles echo a forgotten 19th-century tactic: instead of gerrymandering maps, political machines simply moved voters. Known as "colonization," this scheme thrived from the 1830s to the 1900s. Party bosses recruited drifters, immigrants, and the homeless — over 32 million immigrants arrived between 1840 and 1920 — housing them in flophouses in swing districts and herding them to polls.
In South Texas, boss Jimmy B. Wells bragged, "With my corral, I hold the balance of power" after importing Mexican citizens to vote. Cities like New York, Boston, and Baltimore became pieces in a political shell game, with voters shuttled between wards.
Western states eager for residents allowed recent arrivals and sometimes noncitizens to vote quickly. Reformers like *The Chicago Eagle* denounced the practice, but it persisted until early 20th-century reforms — residency requirements, voter registration, secret ballots — closed the loopholes. The era shows how mobility and weak safeguards enabled systemic fraud, and how determined reform can restore integrity.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing