Gerrymandering: Corruption Crippling the Country

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If you have ever seen the 435 congressional districts on a map you would probably think to yourself that it resembles something similar to one giant jigsaw puzzle. These districts vary in size and certainly in shape. Unlike how county lines are decided within states, the congressional districts change every ten years after the Census is released. Why do they have to change exactly? Well, the answer to that question receives the same frustrating answer heard again and again: It’s politics. The official name for the act of changing congressional lines to benefit a political party is “gerrymandering.” It has been the cause of many debates as well as many negative effects. Gerrymandering has had an unfair advantage in politics throughout history, as it has tarnished the system and should be changed. The history of gerrymandering is one that has caused some major shakeups in how politics are done. A man named Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts back in 1812, started it all. The governor had the idea of redistricting his states lines in order to benefit his political party. One specific district was so badly morphed that it almost resembled a salamander, and thus you get the name, gerrymandering (Barasch). But it didn’t just stop in 1812 Massachusetts; it became one of the most common strategies in American politics. We even see it happening in modern day. For example, Texas in 2003 had realigned its districts in such a way that it put ten Democratic Congressman in heavy red, conservative districts (Barasch). This move was done to lessen their power within the house. As a result, half of them were not voted back in for the next election. The act of gerrymandering is not just as simple as redrawing districts, the un... ... middle of paper ... ...stricts is so each American can have a fair representation in their government, but that tends to get out of the way when politicians are seeking to destroy that foundation. Population based geographical squares are the only way to ensure a fair representation, and until that happens, gerrymandering will continue to corrupt America. Works Cited Barasch, Emily. "The Twisted History of Gerrymandering in American Politics." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. Buckler, Justin. "Population Equality And The Imposition Of Risk On Partisan Gerrymandering." Case Western Reserve Law Review 62.4 (2012): 1037-1055. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives*." Party Divisions. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. "Where Are the Lines Drawn?" All About Redistricting. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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