Gerrymandering
In representative electoral systems, gerrymandering (/ˈdʒɛriˌmændərɪŋ/, originally /ˈɡɛriˌmændərɪŋ/)[1][2] is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The manipulation may involve "cracking" (diluting the voting power of the opposing party's supporters across many districts) or "packing" (concentrating the opposing party's voting power in one district to reduce their voting power in other districts).[3] Gerrymandering can also be used to protect incumbents. Wayne Dawkins, a professor at Morgan State University, describes it as politicians picking their voters instead of voters picking their politicians.[4]
For the film, see Gerrymandering (film). "Gerrymander" redirects here. For the arachnids, see Jerrymander (arachnid). For the plants, see Germander.The term gerrymandering is a portmanteau of a salamander and Elbridge Gerry,[a][5] Vice President of the United States at the time of his death, who, as governor of Massachusetts in 1812, signed a bill that created a partisan district in the Boston area that was compared to the shape of a mythological salamander. The term has negative connotations, and gerrymandering is almost always considered a corruption of the democratic process. The resulting district is known as a gerrymander (/ˈdʒɛriˌmændər, ˈɡɛri-/). The word is also a verb for the process.[6][7]
Gerrymandering's primary goals are to maximize the effect of supporters' votes and minimize the effect of opponents' votes. A partisan gerrymander's main purpose is to influence not only the districting statute but the entire corpus of legislative decisions enacted in its path.[20]
These can be accomplished in a number of ways:[21]
These tactics are typically combined in some form, creating a few "forfeit" seats for packed voters of one type in order to secure more seats and greater representation for voters of another type. This results in candidates of one party (the one responsible for the gerrymandering) winning by small majorities in most of the districts, and another party winning by a large majority in only a few.[24] Any party that endeavors to make a district more favorable to voting for it based on the physical boundary is gerrymandering.
Difference from malapportionment[edit]
Gerrymandering should not be confused with malapportionment, whereby the number of eligible voters per elected representative can vary widely. Nevertheless, the -mander suffix has been applied to particular malapportionments. Sometimes political representatives use both gerrymandering and malapportionment to try to maintain power.[76][77] One of the earliest examples of malapportionment, rotten boroughs, was practiced in England from the 13th century until the 1832 reform act.[78] A striking modern example of malapportionment is the U.S. senate, where states receive equal representation despite widely varying populations.[79]
Related terms[edit]
In a play on words, the use of race-conscious procedures in jury selection has been termed "jurymandering".[186][187]
