gerrymandering (jer-ee-man-d[schwa]r-ing orger-ee-), n. 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 […]
gerrymander(ing) n. 〈美〉不公正划分的选区；不公正划分辖区 该词是19世纪早期由马萨诸塞州〔Massachusetts〕州长埃尔布里奇·格里〔Elbridge Gerry〕的姓与「salamander」一词后缀合并而成的具有讽刺意味的混合词〔portmanteau word〕。当1812年格里所属政党为支持反联邦主义者而重新划分马萨诸塞州选区后，埃塞克斯县〔Essex County〕被划分的形如蝾螈〔salamander〕。自此，gerrymandering指通过划分选区，削弱对手党的投票能量〔voting strength〕而使某一政党获得不公平的优势。在此情况下，其亦称political gerrymandering。目前，此项涵义虽仍是该词的主要含义，但已有所扩展，即其也指为使某一团体获得特别优势而划分辖区(如校区〔school districts〕)，其亦称jurisdictional gerrymandering。 (→reapportionment)