Gerrymandering: Good or Bad?
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of boundaries as to favor one party or class. This form of control has gone back and forth between the Democratic and Republican parties. The practice, having been around since the beginning of American politics, has had many negative and positive effects on elections, politics, and parties. In a famous court case, Baker v. Carr, the lack of enforcement of gerrymandering regulation in the states was brought to the attention of the federal courts. Specific states, such as Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Nebraska, have all felt the impact of gerrymandering in different ways. Most recently in the 2016 election, redistricting has continued to play a crucial part in election outcomes. Gerrymandering …show more content…
“Politicians reacted to the subordinance of traditional redistricting principles to population equality by using population equality as justification to draw non- compact districts that split existing political boundaries” (Altman and McDonald 1185). When politicians realized they could use the revised redistricting criteria to their benefit, a new wave of gerrymandering came to light and the politics of America were changed immensely. In the 1980s, when the popularity of gerrymandering soared, states saw district lines following county lines drop …show more content…
This election came down to the Electoral College vote of each state, which has been skewed and manipulated by gerrymandering throughout history. Soon after winning the election, Donald Trump tweeted, “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally” (Trump). Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate, boasted about his election win and claims to have won both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote altogether. This win can be thanked for by the Republican Party, which has spent years redrawing the districts to benefit their party based on the population’s voting habits. This gerrymandering is how Donald Trump won the Electoral
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of boundaries as to favor one party or class. This form of control has gone back and forth between the Democratic and Republican parties. The practice, having been around since the beginning of American politics, has had many negative and positive effects on elections, politics, and parties. In a famous court case, Baker v. Carr, the lack of enforcement of gerrymandering regulation in the states was brought to the attention of the federal courts. Specific states, such as Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Nebraska, have all felt the impact of gerrymandering in different ways. Most recently in the 2016 election, redistricting has continued to play a crucial part in election outcomes. Gerrymandering …show more content…
“Politicians reacted to the subordinance of traditional redistricting principles to population equality by using population equality as justification to draw non- compact districts that split existing political boundaries” (Altman and McDonald 1185). When politicians realized they could use the revised redistricting criteria to their benefit, a new wave of gerrymandering came to light and the politics of America were changed immensely. In the 1980s, when the popularity of gerrymandering soared, states saw district lines following county lines drop …show more content…
This election came down to the Electoral College vote of each state, which has been skewed and manipulated by gerrymandering throughout history. Soon after winning the election, Donald Trump tweeted, “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally” (Trump). Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate, boasted about his election win and claims to have won both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote altogether. This win can be thanked for by the Republican Party, which has spent years redrawing the districts to benefit their party based on the population’s voting habits. This gerrymandering is how Donald Trump won the Electoral