By Vince Phillips
Most people sense that something is wrong with how congressional and legislative districts are drawn. They see bizarre, salamander-shaped maps and get angry. But few understand exactly how gerrymandering works and why it remains such a stubborn problem.
The term “gerrymandering” originated in 1812 in Massachusetts. Governor Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting bill that created one wildly misshapen state senate district. A political cartoon depicted it as a mythical salamander and called it the “Gerry-mander.” The name stuck.
Important clarification: Gerrymandering only affects elections where part of a state is divided into districts, such as U.S. House seats and state legislative seats. It is impossible to gerrymander a statewide race like President, Governor, or U.S. Senator, because those are winner-take-all contests across the entire state.
Why Redistricting Happens
Every ten years, after the U.S. Census, districts must be redrawn to keep roughly the same number of people in each district. Some states gain population and pick up additional congressional seats (Colorado gained one after the 2020 census, going from 7 to 8 districts). Because the total number of U.S. House seats is fixed at 435, other states that lose relative population must lose seats (California lost one seat after 2020). This constant shifting of population creates new opportunities, and temptations, for the party in power to draw the lines in their favor.
The Basic Idea
The party that controls redistricting gets to draw the lines. They use two simple tricks:
- Packing: Stuff as many of the opponent’s voters as possible into a few districts they will lose anyway. Those votes are “wasted.”
- Cracking: Spread the remaining opponent voters thinly across many districts so they fall just short of winning.
Both Parties Play This Game
Republicans have drawn aggressive maps in Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and elsewhere. Democrats have done the same when they held power. In New York, Democrats tried an extreme gerrymander in 2022 that courts struck down. In California and Virginia, Democratic-controlled processes have produced maps criticized for favoring their side. The Virginia Supreme Court just Struck down an attempt to gerrymander Virginia. Due to aggressive Democratic gerrymandering (and in some cases, natural urban clustering), there is currently not a single Republican member of Congress from all of New England — a region made up of six states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
A Simple 20-District State Model
(Imagine a medium-sized state with 20 congressional districts.)
| Statewide Vote Share (Blue) | Fair/Proportional Seats Blue Should Win | Gerrymandered Maximum Seats Blue Can Win | Number of “Packed” Heavy Red Districts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52.5% | 10–11 | 16 | 4 districts (80%+ Red) |
| 55% | 11 | 17 | 3 districts (85%+ Red) |
| 60% | 12 | 18 | 2 districts (90%+ Red) |
| 65% | 13 | 19 | 1 district (95%+ Red) |
Competitive Districts Serve the People — Not the Politicians
In a 55-45 statewide state, a fair map would create roughly 10–11 truly competitive districts. A gerrymandered map creates only 3 or 4 competitive districts and locks in the rest as safe seats. Politicians in safe districts don’t have to listen to voters — they only have to win their primary. Gerrymandering can result in the minority party going virtually unrepresented.
Why This Persists: A Simple Game Theory Problem
Think of it like two kids playing a game where whoever goes first gets to make up the rules in their own favor. Neither trusts the other to play fair. So when one party gets control of redistricting, they draw the most self-serving map possible, knowing the other side will do the same the next chance they get. The result is bad for everyone except the politicians in power.
The Bottom Line
Gerrymandering is (usually) legal, deeply bipartisan, and bad for democracy. It reduces competition and accountability. Even Colorado’s independent redistricting commission is under constant pressure for having done too good a job. So next time a politician tells you every vote must matter, ask them if they support gerrymandering, which disenfranchises so many voters. Politics really is a very dirty game.
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