1. The practice of dividing a geographical area into electoral districts, often of highly irregular shape, to give one political party an unfair advantage by diluting the opposition’s voting strength. • When Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry ran for reelection in 1812, members of his political party, the Anti-Federalists, altered the state’s voting districts to benefit the party. One newly created district resembled a salamander, inspiring a critic to coin the word gerrymander by combining the governor’s name, Gerry, with the ending of salamander. Gerry was not reelected governor, but was elected as James Madison’s vice president.
— Also termed political gerrymandering. [Cases: Constitutional Law 215.3, 225.3(5); Elections 12(6).C.J.S. Constitutional Law §§ 717, 720, 819.]
2. The practice of dividing any geographical or jurisdictional area into political units (such as school districts) to give some group a special advantage.
— Also termed jurisdictional gerrymandering. Cf. REAPPORTIONMENT. [Cases: Schools 32. C.J.S. Schools and School Districts §§ 20, 23–26.] — gerrymander, vb.
delineational gerrymandering. Gerrymandering by varying the districts’ shape. • There are three kinds of delin-eational gerrymandering: cracking (or fracturing), packing, and stacking. See CRACKING; PACKING; STACKING(2).
institutional gerrymandering. Gerrymandering by means of varying the number of representatives per district.
