Legal Definitions - gerrymandering

Gerrymandering is when a political party tries to gain an unfair advantage by dividing a geographical area into voting districts of irregular shapes. This is done to weaken the voting strength of the opposition party.

For example, in 1812, members of the Anti-Federalist party in Massachusetts changed the state's voting districts to benefit their party. They created a district that looked like a salamander, which inspired a critic to come up with the term "gerrymandering" by combining the governor's name, Gerry, with the ending of salamander. This practice is unfair because it manipulates the voting system to favor one party over another.

Gerrymandering can also happen in other areas, such as school districts, where a group may try to gain an advantage by dividing the area in a way that benefits them. This is called jurisdictional gerrymandering.

There are different types of gerrymandering, such as delineational gerrymandering, which involves varying the shape of the districts, and institutional gerrymandering, which involves varying the number of representatives per district.

Overall, gerrymandering is a controversial practice that undermines the fairness of the democratic process.