Although redistricting aims to be a nonpartisan process, it often becomes politically charged. Political parties and interest groups attempt to influence the outcome to gain an advantage in future elections. This leads us to a controversial practice known as gerrymandering. Gerrymandering occurs when district boundaries are intentionally manipulated to benefit a specific political party or group. This practice involves drawing district maps in a way that skews the election outcomes in favor of one party. The term “gerrymandering” originates from a combination of the name of Elbridge Gerry, a governor of Massachusetts, and the salamander-like shape of one of the manipulated districts during his tenure.

Question

It's in the Bag

So where do we mark the boundary lines for these equally populated districts? Good question. Here’s another: which political party would you want to win the majority of Georgia’s House seats? In a state whose districts have been gerrymandered, state legislatures draw congressional districts in a way that gives one political party an advantage over the other. How do they do this? By “packing” voters who tend to vote one way into just a few of the state’s districts. This decreases the chance of those voters changing the outcome of elections in several districts. They can also draw maps that crack districts. “Cracking” involves dividing like-minded voters across multiple districts until they’re outnumbered by a majority of voters who will vote the opposite way. The results: illogically drawn districts at times resembling the shape of a salamander, a sea horse, or a fire-breathing dragon. When it comes to party affiliation, these gerrymandered districts can create safe seats—districts that tend to always elect a Republican or a
Democrat no matter who that candidate is.
What does the practice of “packing” involve?
A)Concentrating voters who support one party into a few districts
B)Dividing voters who support one party across several districts
C)Creating new districts with equal populations
D)Reducing the number of voters in each district

Answer 1

The practice of “packing” involves:

A) Concentrating voters who support one party into a few districts.