What Is Gerrymandering?
A definition. A history. A scandal hiding in plain sight.
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one political party, group, or incumbent over another. It is named after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry who in 1812 signed a bill creating a salamander-shaped district designed to benefit his party. The name and the practice have endured for over two centuries.
Two Types.
Packing
Cramming as many opposition voters as possible into a single district. That district wins by a landslide but those excess votes are wasted. Result: one safe opposition seat instead of three competitive ones.
Cracking
Splitting a community of voters across multiple districts so they never form a majority in any single one. Result: zero seats for a community of 200,000 people.
Real World Examples.
Both parties named.
North Carolina
RepublicanAfter the 2010 census Republican maps were so aggressive that in 2012 Democratic candidates received 51% of total votes statewide but won only 4 of 13 congressional seats. Federal courts struck the maps down as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering in 2016.
Maryland
DemocratDemocrats redrew the 6th Congressional District after 2010 to eliminate a longtime Republican incumbent. Federal courts later found the maps were politically motivated.
Illinois
DemocratIllinois Democrats drew maps after 2020 that independent analysts rated among the most gerrymandered in the nation.
Texas
RepublicanTexas Republicans redrew maps mid-decade in 2003 in an unprecedented move led by Tom DeLay adding five Republican seats. The process was subject to Supreme Court review. Parts were struck down as racial gerrymanders.
The Technology Problem
Modern gerrymandering uses sophisticated mapping software that can analyze voter data block by block and draw lines with surgical precision. The maps being drawn today are the most precisely gerrymandered in American history.
What Can Stop It.
Independent Redistricting Commissions
Fourteen states have moved redistricting away from partisan legislatures. California, Arizona, Michigan, and Colorado are examples.
Courts
Federal courts have struck down gerrymandered maps dozens of times. But in 2019 the Supreme Court ruled federal courts cannot intervene in purely political gerrymandering. State courts remain an avenue.
Voters
Several states have passed independent redistricting commission initiatives through ballot measures. Michigan voters passed Proposal 2 in 2018 by 61%.