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 dispute is the latest involving claims of racial gerrymandering and the drawing of political districts to land before the high court following the re-crafting of voting boundaries after the decennial census. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2025

The gerrymandering also explains why Republicans are often excluded from key conversations. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025

After decades of gerrymandering and political polarization, a vast majority of members of Congress and state legislatures did not face competitive general elections last year. —Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025

Bad enough on their own, these distortions are amplified by a fragmented media landscape, gerrymandering, and widespread efforts by state legislatures to impose voter restrictions. —Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

gerrymander entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gerrymandering

• meandering
• philandering
• pandering
• slandering