Final answer:
The scenario described in the question is an example of gerrymandering - the manipulation of legislative district boundaries to favor a specific political party or group. In the 2012 redistricting process in Pennsylvania, despite Democratic candidates winning 50.5% of the total votes, the resulting map did not accurately reflect their electoral support.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scenario described in the question is an example of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is the manipulation of legislative district boundaries to favor a specific political party or group. In this case, despite the Democratic candidates winning 50.5% of the total votes in the 2012 congressional elections in Pennsylvania, the redistricting process resulted in a map that favored other parties or groups.
Gerrymandering is a common practice where politicians redraw district lines to maximize their electoral advantage. They may manipulate the shape of districts to concentrate or dilute the votes of certain groups. This often leads to an imbalance in representation and can limit the ability of the minority party or group to win seats.
In the specific scenario of the 2012 redistricting process in Pennsylvania, it appears that the map was drawn in a way that did not accurately reflect the percentage of votes won by Democratic candidates. This is a clear example of gerrymandering, a term used to describe the unfair construction of political district boundaries to benefit one group over another.