What Does Political Gerrymandering Accomplish?

The primary goals of gerrymandering are to maximize the effect of supporters' votes and to minimize the effect of opponents' votes. ... By “cracking” districts, a political party could maintain, or gain, legislative control by ensuring that the opposing party's voters are not the majority in specific districts.

What is political gerrymandering quizlet?

Gerrymandering. drawing a district with boundaries that favor one or more groups of voters or some candidates over another .

What is the purpose of gerrymandering quizlet?

The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent. The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population .

Who does gerrymandering affect quizlet?

Gerrymandering impacts the presidential election by affecting state races and House of Representative races . It does not affect senatorial races or presidential races as districts do not matter in those kinds of races. It is most commonly seen in elections for the House of Representatives.

What is gerrymandering in simple terms?

Gerrymandering is when a political group tries to change a voting district to create a result that helps them or hurts the group who is against them. ... It puts more votes of winners into the district they will win so the losers win in another district.

Why do politicians use gerrymandering quizlet?

Gerrymandering means to draw congressional districts to the advantage of the political party that controls the State's legislature . This is a tactic that does not give equal representation to minority groups in the Congress.

What is the difference between partisan and racial gerrymandering quizlet?

Gerrymandering is drawing district lines for political advantage. Partisan gerrymandering does not violate federal court standards for “equal protection” under the 14th amendment. ... Affirmative racial gerrymandering is drawing district boundary lines to maximize minority representation.

What is the outcome of partisan gerrymandering quizlet?

Partisan Gerrymandering. drawing a district to favor one political party over others . Racial Gerrymandering. drawing a district to favor one racial group over others.

What is gerrymandering Where does this term come from quizlet?

Where did the term gerrymandering come from? The governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry, redistricted his state lines so it favored the Republican party, as opposed to the Federalist party . One of the districts was said to look like a salamander. In response, a Federalist said, “No, it's a gerrymander”.

What is the best definition for gerrymandering quizlet?

gerrymandering. The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent .

What impact does gerrymandering have on a democracy quizlet?

Moreover, gerrymandering upsets the balance of political equality because it gives undue weight and voting power to the minority in a given geographic area, at the expense of the majority voting bloc. Under the concept of political equality, each person's vote should carry the same weight as every other person.

What are two possible solutions for gerrymandering quizlet?

What are some possible solutions to gerrymandering? 1) set up a group free from political control (an independent commission) to draw boundaries . 2) have a bipartisan commission redistricting, where both parties draw boundaries together to have equal representation and compromise (strike a sort of bargain).

Why is gerrymandering bad quizlet?

Why is Gerrymandering unfair? This is unfair because it is turning the vote into one direction and giving some people less say than others, making the person that is already in stay in for longer, and making their party more likely to come into offices in future elections.

Which party started gerrymandering?

The word was created in reaction to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under Governor Elbridge Gerry, later Vice President of the United States. Gerry, who personally disapproved of the practice, signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts for the benefit of the Democratic-Republican Party.

What are the 2 types of gerrymandering?

Typical gerrymandering cases in the United States take the form of partisan gerrymandering, which is aimed at favor in one political party or weaken another; bipartisan gerrymandering, which is aimed at protecting incumbents by multiple political parties; and racial gerrymandering, which is aimed at weakening the power ...

What is another word for gerrymandering?