gerrymandering

noun

ger·​ry·​man·​der·​ing ˈjer-ē-ˌman-d(ə-)riŋ 

 also  ˈger-;

 originally  ˈger-

: the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections

To an untrained eye, the proposed boundaries look like the etchings of a mapmaker on heavy pharmaceuticals. In reality, it's a masterpiece of diabolical gerrymandering.

—Carl Hiaasen

Bipartisan gerrymandering following the 2000 reapportionment produced hundreds of safe Democratic seats, hundreds of safe Republican seats, and not much else.

—Peter Beinart

compare cracking, packing

Examples of gerrymandering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The proliferation of partisan gerrymandering in many states, for example, and the range of electoral procedures between states and even from one county to another, can lead voters to mistrust the system. —Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024

And listen, the House actually has an advantage here to stay in Republican hands because of redistricting, some gerrymandering that went on over the last year. —ABC News, 22 Sep. 2024

The big question in Alexander: What happens when a legislature engages in both racial and partisan gerrymandering? —Ian Millhiser, Vox, 23 May 2024

From gerrymandering and stringent voter ID laws to the purging of voter rolls and the reduction of polling places in predominantly Black neighborhoods, these measures threaten to disenfranchise millions of Black Americans. —Lenwood V. Long, Sr., Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

gerrymander entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above