What is “gerrymandering" and when is it used? Is it fair?

Question

What is “gerrymandering" and when is it used? Is it fair?

Answer 1

Oh wow...

Gerrymandering is when a state sets up its congressional districts in a way clearly calculated to help one party over the other.

Say you have a big majority of democrats in a few cities, with a majority of republicans in the surrounding countrysides. If you were to lump all the cities into one district, giving the democrats one vote in congress, while spreading the republican majority over several districts, giving them several votes in congress, you'd be gerrymandering.

The term came about when some guy named Gerry made a district in the shape of a salamander.

Answer 2

Gerrymandering is a term that describes the deliberate rearrangement of the boundaries of congressional districts to influence the outcome of elections.

Answer 3

It is when you develop new voting districts in such a way that your party benefits from it. Say you have 3 districts. Two democratic and one Republican. The democratic party might divide the republican district up so they have the majority in all 3 districts. It is legal.Providing you don't divide it up based on race.

Answer 4

I think this was the source of the Alberto Gonzales issue. I hope somebody picks up on this and draw this out further. Good question.

Answer 5

Gerry-mandering is when a state legislature redistricts teh state so that certain members of a party may have a better chance of winning. It is usaully done when a majority party in a state government wants to have more power nationally. IT cuts up teh state in such a way that it is not fairly representative. For example they could cut up the state in such a way where there are a bunch of districts with republicans and a small number of districts where democrats are the majority, thereby republicans will win most of the votes and offices on a state level and on a national level.

ITs not fair, but it is legal

Answer 6

the supreme court has ruled that gerrymandering is illegal if the lines on the basis of race, like to segregate.  But its oK for political reasons, even if the lines are drawn exactly the same.

You only get to redraw the lines every 10 years though, after the census, so you better hope your party is in power when it happens so you get to draw them.