Gerrymandering: How Politicians Choose Their Own Voters
Drawing Lines, Winning Elections
Every ten years, after the U.S. Census, state legislatures redraw congressional district maps. This process — called redistricting — is supposed to reflect population changes and ensure fair representation. In practice, it has become one of the most powerful tools for entrenching political power regardless of how voters actually vote.
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of district lines to favor one party, group, or incumbent over another. The name comes from Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry, who in 1812 approved a district so contorted it resembled a salamander. The practice is now two centuries old and more sophisticated than ever.
How It Works in Practice
There are two main techniques. Packing means cramming as many of your opponent’s voters as possible into a single district — they win that one overwhelmingly, but waste their votes in a landslide. Cracking means splitting your opponent’s voter base across multiple districts so they form a minority in each, winning none.
With modern data analytics, mapmakers can predict voting behavior down to the precinct level with remarkable accuracy. A party controlling a state legislature after a census year can draw maps that virtually guarantee their congressional delegation for the next decade — regardless of how the overall vote breaks.
The Results Are Stark
In 2022, Republicans in North Carolina won 52% of the statewide congressional vote but captured 71% of the congressional seats — 10 of 14. In 2012, Democratic candidates for the Pennsylvania House received more total votes than Republican candidates. Republicans won 13 of 18 congressional seats. These aren’t anomalies. They’re the system working exactly as designed.
Both Parties Do It
This is important to acknowledge. Maryland’s congressional map — drawn by Democrats — produced one of the most gerrymandered districts in the country for years. Illinois Democrats have drawn maps to protect their incumbents. Gerrymandering is not a Republican or Democratic problem. It’s a power problem. Whoever controls the process uses it.
What Fixes It
Independent redistricting commissions — already in place in states like California, Arizona, and Michigan — remove the process from direct legislative control. The results aren’t perfect, but they’re measurably more competitive than legislative gerrymanders. Whether the political will to adopt them nationally exists is another question entirely.
Democracy assumes voters choose their leaders. Gerrymandering inverts that relationship. Knowing how it works is the first step to demanding something better.
