A Pizza Pop-Up Draws Attention to Gerrymandering by Offering Free Pies to District 37 Constituents

Certain Austinites will be eligible for free pizza this week from a pop-up called Gerry’s Partisan Pizza — but only those who live in the newly added District 37, which many considered to be gerrymandered. The pop-up, which features pizza from downtown Austin restaurant the Backspace, will run Friday, October 22 through Sunday, October 24 out of the 507 San Jacinto Boulevard location.

Gerry’s Partisan Pizza will offer three kinds of pizza — margherita, cheese, and pepperoni — available for delivery or in-person ordering (however, customers must order online to determine eligibility, though the site isn't live just yet). The pizzas come delivered with information about how to fight gerrymandering.

The pop-up is being put on by RepresentUs, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works to pass anticorruption laws in the areas of lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance. Founded in 2012, RepresentUs is perhaps best known for creating Gil Fulbright, a fake political candidate who for a time out-fundraised real presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee. RepresentUs is working with creative agency Mischief @ No Fixed Address and public relations agency Dini von Mueffling Communications for this project.

Texas District 37 is a new congressional district encompassing Austin and San Antonio added as one of two new seats in the U.S. Congress from the 2020 census. As drawn by the Republican-controlled Texas government, it is widely believed to be gerrymandered because it concentrates Democratic-leaning voters who might otherwise influence elections in nearby areas that feature Republican incumbents. Its first representative will be elected in 2022.

Gerry’s Partisan Pizza will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. The Backspace will be closed for regular service during this time.

• All Coverage of the Backspace [EATX]