Gerrymandering

Today’s Objective  After today’s lesson, students will be able to…  Define reapportionment, redistricting, and gerrymandering  Describe the differences between the three terms  Essential Skill  Demonstrate and understanding of concepts

Reapportionment  The process of redistributing the 435 House of Representatives seats based on population  Determined using the preceding census to allot states seats  Important because states can gain or lose power in the United States House of Representatives

Redistricting  The redrawing of congressional or other district lines after the census  Done to accommodate population shifts make districts as near to equal in total population

Gerrymandering  To manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency (population) so as to favor one party or class  Wesberry v. Sanders  Districts have to have equal population sizes (“one person, one vote”)  Decreased influence of rural population  Courts do not strike down gerrymandering unless they violate Voting Rights Act  Population Equality  Contiguity  Not compactness

Effects of Gerrymandering  Makes districts less competitive  Gives incumbents the advantage  Increases campaign costs  Decrease in descriptive representation  Dilutes minorities votes

Majority – Minority Districts  Districts drawn to give African Americans, or other minority groups, a chance to elect representatives  Controversy?  Should districts be based on race?  Is it discrimination?  Is there value in having a diverse Congress?

Local Example  When Gerlach first ran for Congress in 2002 the bizarrely drawn district was often said to have been crafted for Gerlach, then a state senator seeking to move up.  He's won the seat five times since, the last time with a fairly convincing win of 57 to 43 percent over Trivedi.

Local Example  In 2014, Gerlach decided not to run for reelection…leaving the door open for Manan Trivedi  BUT!  The lines were redrawn in a way that carved out Trivedi’s house and possible supporters  Ryan Costello won the district easily (57% to 43%)

Conclusion  What is reapportionment?  What is redistricting?  What is gerrymandering?  What are you most surprised about in regards to gerrymandering?