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Simple English definitions for legal terms

political gerrymandering

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A quick definition of political gerrymandering:

Political gerrymandering is when politicians draw the lines of voting districts in a way that gives their political party an unfair advantage. They might make the districts really weird shapes to split up the other party's voters or pack them all into one district. This is not fair and can make it harder for everyone's vote to count equally.

A more thorough explanation:

Political gerrymandering is the practice of dividing a geographical area into electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage by weakening the opposition's voting strength. This is often done by creating oddly shaped districts that include or exclude certain groups of voters.

The term "gerrymandering" comes from a district in Massachusetts that was redrawn in 1812 to benefit the Anti-Federalist party. The new district was said to resemble a salamander, and a critic combined the name of the governor at the time, Elbridge Gerry, with "salamander" to create the term.

There are different types of gerrymandering, including:

  • Delineational gerrymandering: This involves varying the shape of districts to weaken the opposition's voting strength. There are three types of delineational gerrymandering: cracking (or fracturing), packing, and stacking.
  • Institutional gerrymandering: This involves varying the number of representatives per district to benefit one political party.

Gerrymandering can have a significant impact on elections and representation. For example, if a state's districts are gerrymandered to favor one party, that party may win more seats than they would have otherwise. This can lead to a lack of representation for certain groups of voters and can make it difficult for the opposition party to gain power.

Overall, political gerrymandering is a controversial practice that can have far-reaching consequences for democracy and representation.

political equality | political law

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Dkk
19:42
SEO is big money
2016 pushed the conservative party into populism irreversibly
Dkk
19:43
Maybe, but if this is populism, then every election is populist.
19:43
@Dkk: yeah register 1 website and every swinging tom dick and harry calls/emails/texts to 'help with seo'. like bruh, if YOU found it, what i am doing is working
Dkk
19:43
Indeed!
19:48
wasp, i think people are hopeful for a gov who at least attempts to care about the common man
MIAMI A
[] AromaticTroubledDormouse
20:55
How does one know if they are UR1 or UR2?
[] AromaticTroubledDormouse
20:56
CONGRATS MACAQUE!
TY
got a random stanford email and almost had a heart attack
ALSO CONGRATS!
Congrats1!
21:15
Miami A, yall I'm so excited I could cry.
21:15
Feel like I can finally stop holding my breath!! Whew!!!
[] baddestbunny
22:16
every time I get accosted by a strange man who follows me around because my male coworkers were too busy talking to walk me back to my car I get closer to saying we need to bring back traditional gender roles
Dkk
22:32
Nice! @Macaque
Dkk
22:32
@Aromatic, Have to guess.
Dkk
22:33
That sucks @Bunny do you have to go to the hospital?
[] baddestbunny
22:40
I said accosted not assaulted
23:35
guys. my notre dame address just went long is this good or bad
1a2b3c4d26z
23:37
Oooooo me too
23:37
omg is this good or bad
Dkk
23:47
Idk if gender roles are gunna fix that then.
23:49
it looks like most people who applied in october last cycle didn't get a decision until january... does it even mean anything that our addresses went long??
hows ED 2 compared to ED 1?
Dkk
0:10
No idea
windyMagician
0:34
reporting live to say my ndls address also went long
does it mean anything ^
Dkk
2:21
NDLS and Fordham took a very long time last year. It's good info for people to know.
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