Word
gerrymandering
Phoneticsger·ry·man·der·ing
US/ˌdʒɛɹiˈmændɝɪŋ/
UK/dʒˈɛɹɪmˌɑːndəɹɪŋ/
Definition
v. to change the borders of an area to help a specific political party win more seats. This is usually done to make it harder for the other side to win.
v. to manipulate the boundaries of electoral districts to gain an unfair political advantage. Often involves creating oddly shaped districts that dilute the voting power of the opposing party.
Examples
“The party accused the government of gerrymandering to win the election.”
“After the census, the legislature was criticized for gerrymandering several districts to ensure their majority remained intact.”
“Legal scholars argue that extreme gerrymandering undermines the principle of one person, one vote by allowing a minority to control the majority of the seats in a state.”
Examples
simple
“The party accused the government of gerrymandering to win the election.”
contextual
“After the census, the legislature was criticized for gerrymandering several districts to ensure their majority remained intact.”
complex
“Legal scholars argue that extreme gerrymandering undermines the principle of one person, one vote by allowing a minority to control the majority of the seats in a state.”
Real-World Examples
“In the US, no federal law bars partisan redistricting, known as gerrymandering.” “That year, they embarked on the gerrymandering campaign Redmap, which seized control over state legislatures in advance of the post-census redistricting.” Etymology
From gerrymander + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/gerrymandering