The practice of Gerrymandering has been around as long as the United States Constitution. “Gerrymandering” comes from the name of former Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry. His last name is the beginning of the term because in 1811 he signed a bill that gave unfair representation and an advantage to the Democratic Party over the Republicans. One of the quarters looked like it was shaped like a salamander, which is how they got the Mander part. Additionally, the final touch was the appearance of Elkanah Tisdale's cartoon in the Boston Gazette; he graphically transformed the neighborhoods into an animal, eventually giving rise to the term "The Gerry-mander." Gerrymandering can simply be described as the drawing of electoral district boundaries for the primary purpose of determining the outcome of elections. Congressional districts are generally structured in one of two ways. The first is to draw districts in a way that groups voters of the same type into a single district, which essentially helps prevent them from influencing other districts. The second method, generally called “cracking,” involves diluting virtually all of the same voters. You spread them across as many districts as possible to prevent them from gaining enough influence in any given district. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the Original EssayGerrymandering has been used to both help enable and disenfranchise minority voters. “Several states have implemented gerrymanders to create majority-minority districts, thereby empowering minority voting blocs in the electoral process.” There have been congressional majorities in Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Texas that have gerrymandered the competitiveness of their districts, and states like New Jersey, California, and New York have ​​redrawn their districts to protect needed seats. “President Ronald Reagan once called for “an end to the undemocratic and un-American practice of gerrymandering congressional districts,” calling the issue “a national scandal.” President Obama once said that "politicians choose their voters, not the other way around." .” Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich had to say about this issue, "I think it's wrong" and "I think it leads to bad government." Gerrymandering could potentially be considered a violation of the United States Constitution. It has already been recognized several times by state and federal courts, but without the unanimity required to systematically prohibit the practice of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering has been considered dangerous because it violates two fundamental principles of electoral distribution, namely compactness and equality of district size. “A 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision said districts should be drawn to reflect substantial equality of population. » Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized document now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay However, majority parties in some state legislatures continue to draw district boundaries along partisan lines without regard to local boundaries or even contiguity. Some people have chosen to defend gerrymandering because they see it as the only way to ensure representation for minority groups. Others.