A Brief History of the Gerrymander, with Relevance for Today
Elbridge Gerry would probably have preferred to be remembered as John Adams’s friend, or a key framer of the Constitution, or the fifth Vice President of the United States. Or really anything other than what he ultimately is remembered as: the creator of the gerrymander.
Every ten years following the census, the number of representatives within the 50 states is recalculated. At this point, electoral districts may be redrawn, and the authority to do so rests with the states. A gerrymander is a system of redistricting that favors either the party in control of a given state legislature, or an incumbent politician. This process entails so-called “packing” or “cracking” demographics, which dilute the vote share of the opposing party.
Which brings us back to Elbridge Gerry. Back in 1812, Gerry — a member of the Democratic-Republican Party (as it was called at the time) — found himself dragged into a partisan battle with the Federalist Party to whom he was opposed. As the Governor of Massachusetts, he signed into law a bill which allowed Massachusetts to be redistricted per the wishes of the Democratic-Republican controlled state legislature. The districts in question protected Democratic-Republican seats in the Massachusetts House and Senate.
But rather than following county lines or adhering to some obvious, community-based logic, these districts were strangely shaped. They either cut across or lumped heretofore distinct counties together. Federalists complained about this relatively transparent attempt to alter electoral outcomes in favor of the Democrat-Republicans. The story goes that in a Boston dinner party, the illustrator Elkanah Tisdale drew the new districts as if they were a salamander. One guest was said to observe, “No, it’s a Gerry-mander.” The name stuck. As did the practice.
Gerrymandering has a number of pernicious effects on democracy, but two stand out. First, gerrymandering means that elected officials have less incentive to be responsive to their constituents. Their political careers are now decided by party officials based well outside their districts, who set these arbitrary boundaries. So elected officials they can now ignore the needs and concerns of their own voters.
Which brings us to the second problem with gerrymandering. In an ideal world, districting and redistricting should be a process wherein voting blocs are created from existing communities. These communities can then vote for those individuals and/or parties whom they feel will properly represent them in state and federal legislatures. Obviously, communities don’t live in neat, evenly dimensioned squares, so a well-drawn district won’t always have a regular shape. But when done fairly, redistricting will keep a community together and enable it to have its voice heard.
In short, democracy works when voters pick their representatives. But it starts to break down when representatives pick their voters. And gerrymandering is still very much at stake in the latest round of proposed electoral law changes.
So, what can you do if you are troubled by gerrymandering? You can call your local, state, or federal representative and tell them that you are concerned. You can also vote in midterm elections at the federal level, and in local and statewide elections. Above all, contact all of your representatives and let them know that the power of democracy is in your hands.
