Elections
Gerrymandered maps can determine the partisan outcome of House and state-legislature races for a decade at a time.
In plain English
When map lines shape political power.
Gerrymandering is when map-drawers shape districts to lock in election outcomes before voters cast a single ballot.
Simple example
In Maryland and North Carolina alike, federal and state courts have struck down maps as unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders since 2018.
Why it matters
What the term actually changes.
Representation
Voters can find themselves split across districts in ways that dilute the impact of their community’s vote.
Power
Whichever party controls redistricting in a state often controls the next ten years of its congressional delegation.
How it works
The mechanics, in practice.
Cracking
Spreading the other side's voters thinly across many districts so they fall short of a majority in each one.
Packing
Concentrating the other side's voters into a few districts they win overwhelmingly, wasting their surplus votes.
Redrawing
Repeating the process after each census, locking in the advantage for a decade at a time.
Related guide
Should courts require states to draw majority-minority congressional districts?
A look at how the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Protection Clause, and the redistricting process intersect when courts review congressional maps.
Read the guide → Related issue brief
Should courts require states to draw majority-minority congressional districts?
A renewed Supreme Court fight over Alabama's congressional map has revived a decades-old debate over when race may, or must, shape district lines.
Read the brief →You’ve learned the term. Now vote.
Should courts require states to draw majority-minority congressional districts?
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Civics guide
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Judicial review is the power American courts use to decide whether a law or government action violates the Constitution.
Glossary
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