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 Gerrymandering - divide and conquer

In this text, I would like to explain the origin and meaning of the term gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering means manipulating the borders of electoral districs by politicians to increase the chances of their victory. This curious name is a combination of the  politician name, 5th vice president of the USA, Elbridge Gerry and the word salamander.  In 1812, Elbridge Gerry as Governor of Massachusetts created a constituency of a very unusual shape to increase the chances of winning by the Democratic-Republican party[1]. The district created by him was supposed to resemble a salamander, and therefore journalists coined the term gerrymandering[2]. 
The term has entered political science and does not seem to be rejected any time soon as politicians continue to use unfair practices to hold power. In 2019, the gerrymandering case went to the Supreme Court, but the majority of 5-4 ruled that it is a political issue and it cannot decide on such matters, so it will still happen until some sensible legislation is adopted.


Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/what-is-gerrymandering.html
https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/czym-jest-gerrymandering/7y2rf6q
https://www.britannica.com/topic/gerrymandering
Photo Sources:
http://labmath.org/?p=795
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
https://www.fairvote.org/new_poll_everybody_hates_gerrymandering

[1]
[2]


Komentarze

  1. englishdiary15 września 2020 11:54

    Part of the problem is that constituency borders have to be changed sometimes as electoral districts should be more of less the same in terms of the number of voters. E.g. when an area gets depopulated or when a lot of new people move into it, it absolutely makes sense to change the borders of the district.
    But of course this tactics is also, if not mostly, used to achieve political goals and give one party an unfair advantage.

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