Gerrymandering History
In which year did Elbridge Gerry sign the law that led to the first known instance of gerrymandering?
What is 1812?
This gerrymandering tactic involves spreading a particular voting bloc thin across multiple districts to dilute their vote.
What is cracking?
This district in North Carolina, once considered one of the most gerrymandered, is often cited as an example of extreme partisan manipulation.
What is NC-12?
Gerrymandering can result in this type of outcome where the party with fewer votes wins a majority of the seats.
What is a disproportionate representation?
This independent commission was proposed in many states as a way to draw districts free from political influence.
What is a redistricting commission?
This U.S. state is known for the "Gerry-mander" because of a district created under Elbridge Gerry's governorship.
What is Massachusetts?
This tactic involves concentrating a particular voting group into a single district to reduce their influence in neighboring districts.
What is packing?
This district in Maryland, which was shaped like a salamander, led to the coining of the term "gerrymandering."
What is the Massachusetts district under Elbridge Gerry?
This electoral system, common in the U.S., is often seen as more susceptible to gerrymandering.
What is the winner-takes-all system?
In 2019, this state became the first to adopt an independent commission to draw political districts after passing a ballot measure.
What is California?
The term "gerrymandering" is derived from this animal, which resembles the distorted shape of the district.
What is a salamander?
A gerrymandering tactic that involves creating oddly shaped districts to connect distant areas of the same political group is called this.
What is a "weird" or "contorted" district?
This state’s “Baker v. Carr” case resulted in the Supreme Court ruling that gerrymandering could be contested as a political issue, not just a legal one.
What is Tennessee?
The main goal of partisan gerrymandering is to do this: give an advantage to one party over others.
What is to manipulate the vote?
This 2019 Supreme Court ruling said that federal courts could not decide gerrymandering cases based on partisan lines.
What is Rucho v. Common Cause?
This U.S. Supreme Court case in 1964 addressed the "one person, one vote" principle, indirectly impacting gerrymandering.
What is Reynolds v. Sims?
Gerrymandering that targets racial or ethnic groups to favor one political party is often challenged under this part of the Constitution.
What is the 14th Amendment (Equal Protection Clause)?
In 2016, this state’s Supreme Court ruled that the map drawn in 2011 was unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering.
What is Pennsylvania?
A potential consequence of gerrymandering is that it leads to the election of these types of representatives who may not represent the majority of voters.
What are unrepresentative or extreme candidates?
The goal of this reform, proposed in various states, is to draw electoral districts based on neutral criteria, such as geography and population.
What is non-partisan redistricting?
This act passed in 1965 aimed to eliminate voting discrimination and indirectly reduced some gerrymandering practices.
What is the Voting Rights Act?
This term refers to gerrymandering that attempts to protect incumbents and political elites by drawing districts to favor them.
What is partisan gerrymandering?
This "bizarre" district in Texas was found to have been drawn with racial gerrymandering intent and led to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
What is the Texas District 23?
A major criticism of gerrymandering is that it undermines this democratic principle, which is essential to fair elections.
What is fair representation?
This method of redistricting uses a computer algorithm to draw district boundaries based on specific criteria like population, geography, and compactness, with the goal of minimizing political influence.
What is algorithmic or automated redistricting?