gerrymandering basics

Every ten years when a census is completed in the United States, legislative and congressional districts are redrawn to reflect our ever-changing populations. And while this process should be rooted in equity and representation, that’s no longer the case thanks to a bullshit practice known as gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering is the manipulation of political boundaries to favor a party or class, and it’s how opportunistic politicians redraw congressional districts so they can pick their electors, silence underrepresented communities, and stay in power. They do this in one of two ways:

There’s PACKING, which groups voters from similiar backgrounds to minimize their electoral influence. And then there’s CRACKING, which spreads out voters from similar backgounds to eliminate their electoral influence.