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

For example, some states have addressed partisan gerrymandering by appointing nonpartisan or balanced citizen or judicial panels to draw political boundaries. —Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024

The South Carolina ruling prompted a dissent from liberal justices that the court was insulating states from claims of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. —Andrew Demillo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2024

Moderates have been largely squeezed out of political relevance by acrimonious polarization, plus the extreme gerrymandering of congressional and legislative districts in many states. —Jim Nowlan, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Nov. 2024

All of the state Assembly seats and half of the state Senate seats are up for election — and the recent redistricting away from the gerrymandering of the past could make a difference in the makeup of both. —Madison Lammert, Journal Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

gerrymander entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above