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What is gerrymandering?

By law, each congressional district should have similar populations, and district boundaries should touch one another. In the past, many states drew boundaries to put more voters in some districts than others. The Supreme Court ruled against this practice in Wesberry v. Sanders. The Court said the population differences in Georgia's districts were too great and violated the Constitution. The Court said that one man's vote should be worth the same as another's. This decision changed the way many states drew district lines.

Many states still draw boundaries to favor one party or group over another. The term for this unfair districting is called gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is usually done to help one party elect a large number of representatives. Sometimes, states draw boundaries to help elected officials win reelection easily.

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Final answer:

Gerrymandering is the manipulation of legislative district boundaries to favor a particular candidate or party. It is a controversial practice that can impact the fairness of elections.

Step-by-step explanation:

Gerrymandering is the manipulation of legislative district boundaries to favor a particular candidate or party. The term originated from a redistricting plan signed by Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry in 1812. Gerrymandering can be done in various ways, such as concentrating voters of a specific group in a single district or splitting them across multiple districts. It is a controversial practice that is often used to maintain political dominance and can impact the fairness of elections.

User Phanindravarma
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