While the final vote tally won t be in for quite some time, at this point it s looking like the massive victory Republicans were granted yesterday was due largely in part to gerrymandering   perfectly legal rigging of the vote that parties take advantage of during the census. Because Republicans controlled most state legislatures during the time of the last census, Republican votes tend to count more than Democratic votes do.That s why, despite the simple fact that more people probably voted for Hillary Clinton, we are facing at least four years of a Donald Trump presidency. We actually saw exactly how this would play out in 2012, when Republicans took the House despite losing by over a million in the popular vote. Democrats simply can t afford close races.It s hard to admit, but Donald Trump was right about something   the election WAS rigged. By state and congressional Republicans, and then by obstructionists. Hopefully, this loss teaches the Democrats that stayed home and leftists that refused to unify that we can t afford to put ideology over pragmatism. When the other side is cheating, the only solution is to boost turnout beyond what they can cope with. That s really the only way to see a silver lining in any of this   maybe people will learn. The Democratic Party picked up seats in the House and Senate   enough to give the GOP a taste of  no    but the next four years are looking bleak.Here s a video that explains the process of gerrymandering and how Republicans have orchestrated it so that your vote doesn t count the way it should:Also, you should know there is an interstate compact between quite a few states   and the list is growing   that are pledging to give their electors to the winner of the popular vote the next time around. That d be a win for democracy. If we d had that in play this time around, we might not be looking at a Donald Trump presidency. And it would mean that every vote does, indeed, count   right now, unless you live in a swing state, you probably already know whether your vote counts before you cast it.Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images