The practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one political party or group over another. This typically involves creating oddly-shaped districts that concentrate or disperse certain voting populations to maximize electoral advantage.
Named after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry, whose party redrew districts in 1812 creating a salamander-shaped district. A political cartoon combined 'Gerry' with 'salamander' to coin 'gerrymander,' and the term stuck.
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