Gerrymandering is the practice of redrawing congressional districts after a decadal census to favor one political party over the other.

Seth Dixon‘s insight:

This interactive mapping activity is an excellent tool to introduce the idea of redistricting in general and gerrymandering to be more specific.  The creation of a new congressional district, or the loss of an old one, affects every district around it, necessitating new maps. Even states not adding or losing congressional representatives need new district maps that reflect the population shifts within their borders, so that residents are equally repre­sented no matter where they live. This ritual carving and paring of the United States into 435 sovereign units, known as redistricting, was intended by the Framers solely to keep democracy’s electoral scales balanced. Instead, redistricting today has become a part of the political game—a way for elected leaders to entrench themselves in 435 impregnable garrisons from which they can maintain political power while avoiding demographic realities. 

And how is gerrymandering a part of the current government shutdown?  Read Thomas Friedman’s opinion on the subject or an opinion from the Economist.

Tags: gerrymandering, political, mapping, census, unit 4 political.

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