gerrymander
Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing political or electoral districts with the intention of enabling the party charged with redistricting to remain in power. This practice often results in districts with bizarre shapes.
The term takes its name from a political cartoon first published in 1812 in the Boston Gazette. The cartoon satirized a bizarrely shaped Boston-area district that Governor Elbridge Gerry had approved. Comparing its shape to that of a salamander from classical myth, the cartoon features a drawing of the district with attached dragon-like features such as claws and wings.
Due to its influence over politics and its anti-democratic nature, the practice of gerrymandering remains controversial. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Rucho v. Common Cause, 588 U.S. 684, that allegations of political gerrymandering are not justiciable political questions; and are incontestable in federal court. However, the Court had previously ruled in Cooper v. Harris, 581 U.S. 285 (2017) that gerrymandering districts based on racial makeup is a violation of the Voting Rights Act and is therefore both illegal and justiciable.
Gerrymandering usually occurs in two ways: cracking and packing. Historically, both techniques have been permitted if they comply with existing law, such as the Voting Rights Act.
[Last reviewed in May of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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