Topic 4.6

Essential Knowledge:

Voting districts, redistricting, and gerrymandering affect election results at various scales. 

Voting Districts 

States divide their territory into electoral districts to elect representatives. 

Redistricting 

Every 10 years (after the census), district boundaries are redrawn to reflect population change. Redistricting impacts political representation. 

Gerrymandering 

Manipulating district boundaries to give one political party an advantage. 

Types include: 

• Cracking – Splitting voters across districts to weaken their influence. 
• Packing – Concentrating voters into one district to reduce their power elsewhere. 
• Stacking – Merging districts to dilute opposition strength. 

These practices can affect local, state, and national election outcomes. 

Contextualization: 

Video #1:  

This video provides a decent breakdown of what Gerrymandering is, and how the drawing of boundary lines over voting districts offers substantial control over electoral systems & power dynamics. 

Video #2:  

This video breaks down the concerns with gerrymandering and what goes into the definition of internal boundaries. 

In Practice

Essential Question: 

What is the difference between redistricting and gerrymandering? 

Conceptual Analysis:

• Explain how this population shift could lead to redistricting.
• Identify the type of gerrymandering being used and explain how it affects election outcomes.
• Explain one reason why census data are important for the redistricting process.

Vocab Review:  

Provide a shorthand working definition for each of the following terms. This means it needs to be in YOUR OWN WORDS. 

• Boundary  
• Boundary Delimitation  
• Boundary Demarcation  
• Boundary Administration  
• Boundary Dispute  
• Irredentism  
• Antecedent Boundary 
• Consequent Boundary 
• Subsequent Boundary  
• Superimposed Boundary 
• Relict (relic) Boundary 
• Geometric Boundary 

MCQ:

(You only need to write the letter of the answer that you select)
1. Why do states engage in redistricting following the census?

A. To ensure that electoral districts reflect changes in population distribution
B. To increase the number of representatives in Congress every decade
C. To eliminate political parties from the electoral process
D. To create districts based on physical geography rather than population

2. A political party draws district boundaries so that voters who support the opposing party are spread across several districts, preventing them from forming a majority in any one district. This practice is known as

A. packing
B. stacking
C. cracking
D. reapportionment

3. Which of the following best describes the process of gerrymandering?

A. Reallocating seats in a legislature based on census data
B. Redrawing district boundaries to provide an electoral advantage to a political party or group
C. Establishing new states from existing territories
D. Creating districts that follow natural geographic features