Simple Definition Gerrymandering is the practice of deliberately manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to give an unfair advantage to one political party or group over another. Think of it like this: You're dividing a pizza (the state) among friends (the voters). Instead of cutting fair slices, you carefully sculpt the slices so that your friend gets all the pepperoni, even if it means the slices look like bizarre, squiggly shapes. That's gerrymandering. --- The Two Main Tactics Map drawers (usually state legislators) use two primary strategies to gerrymander districts: 1. "Cracking": Spreading voters of a certain type (e.g., supporters of one party) across many districts so that they are a minority in each one and cannot win any seats.    · Imagine you have a city that votes mostly for Party A. "Cracking" would split the city's voters into several different rural districts, where they are outnumbered by Party B voters. 2. "Packing": Concentrating voters of a certain type into as few districts as possible. This allows them to win those few districts by a huge margin, but it makes their influence in the surrounding districts much weaker.    · Imagine you have a large number of Party A voters spread across a state. "Packing" would draw a few bizarrely shaped districts that cram almost all of them into just one or two districts, ensuring Party B wins all the others. Why is it Called "Gerrymandered"? The term has a colorful origin story: · Year: 1812 · Place: Massachusetts · People: Governor Elbridge Gerry and his Democratic-Republican party. · The Event: Governor Gerry signed a bill that redrew state senate districts to favor his party. One of the new districts in Essex County was so strangely shaped that it looked like a mythical salamander. · The Name: A political cartoonist drew the district with wings, claws, and a head and labeled it "The Gerry-Mander." The name stuck. A famous historical cartoon of the "Gerry-Mander" from 1812. (Image: The word "gerrymander" itself is a portmanteau of the governor's last name, "Gerry," and "salamander.") The Consequences of Gerrymandering Gerrymandering is highly controversial because it undermines the core principles of democracy: · It Creates Non-Competitive Elections: In a heavily gerrymandered state, the outcome of most elections is decided when the district maps are drawn, not by voters on Election Day. · It Leads to Polarization: Politicians in "safe" seats don't need to appeal to the political center. They only need to worry about a primary challenge from their party's more extreme base, which makes compromise difficult. · It Dilutes Voting Power: It can effectively silence the voices of minority groups and voters of the disadvantaged party, making their votes count for less. Is it Legal? The legality is complex and varies. · It is illegal to gerrymander based on race (a violation of the Voting Rights Act). · Partisan gerrymandering (drawing lines to favor a political party) is a gray area. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts cannot hear challenges to partisan gerrymandering, leaving it largely to states to regulate. · Many states have since reformed their process by creating independent, non-partisan commissions to draw district lines instead of leaving it to politicians. --- In a Nutshell Gerrymandered means an electoral district has been strategically and unfairly shaped to rig the outcome of elections before a single vote is even cast. It's a way for politicians to choose their voters, rather than voters choosing their politicians. `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:`