Describe the history of the term “gerrymandering” and how it has been used in practice.?
Describe the history of the term “gerrymandering” and how it has been used in practice. Is this process antiquated and useless, or is there still reason for this practice to be in place?
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It's alive and well, and was practiced with great success by the Republicans in 2010. Gerrymandering is arranging a congressional (or other political) district such that it diminishes the voting power of one group and gives power to another group. For example, in Texas, they gerrymandered their districts such that there are very few districts where Hispanics have the majority, even though they may be the majority of a population in a given area. This results in districts that have zero basis in geography, and, when drawn, take shapes that belong in nightmares. California passed a law which eliminates this, because, instead of the politicians drawing the districts, a group of people (who are nominated and vetted, but not appointed by either political group) do that chore. BTW, the districts have to be redrawn every 10 years based upon population - it's in our Constitution.
If you look it up in the dictionary, the encyclopedia or your text book, you will see that the term has to do with creating "safe" districts for state legislatures and state representatives to Congress. Will leave the rest of the research to you.
Include in your essay how often this process is done and who gets to draw the maps, as this is an important issue. You might also discuss how creating safe districts discourages compromise in the various legislatures and why.