• Political affairs -> Democracy

• 0 Comment

What are some of the most egregious examples of gerrymandering in history?

Minda Orr

Gerrymandering has been a widely debated political tactic for decades, seen as a way for political parties to gain an unfair advantage by manipulating electoral districts to benefit their party. Over the years, there have been several examples of gerrymandering that have been deemed egregious, some of which have been widely criticized across the globe. In this post, we will delve into some of the most egregious examples of gerrymandering in history.

One of the most notable examples of gerrymandering took place in the United States during the 1800s. In 1812, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signed into law a redistricting plan that would benefit his Democratic-Republican party significantly. The new plan re-drew the districts in a way that ensured Democratic-Republican candidates would win most of the seats. Interestingly, the shape of the newly drawn district lines almost looked like salamanders, and this is where the term gerrymandering came from.

In South Africa during the apartheid era, the government used gerrymandering to limit black voter power significantly. Apartheid architects drew the district lines to create electoral districts consisting of a small minority of people of color and a large majority of white people. For example, one electoral district was drawn, so it covered the most impoverished black neighborhoods, a township, and two white suburbs in Johannesburg. This was a deliberate effort to reduce the influence of black voters and ensure that white people could maintain control over the government.

Another example of gerrymandering took place in Pakistan in 1977, where the military regime used gerrymandering to give an unfair advantage to specific political parties that were deemed more favorable. The military junta appointed a team of retired judges to redraw the electoral maps that would give maximum seats to the ruling party and reduce the representation of other political parties. This was an attempt to ensure that the military regime remained in power and undermined the democratic function of the state.

In 2003, Texas also witnessed an example of gerrymandering of epic proportions when the Republican-controlled state legislature drew new electoral district maps. The new maps gave Republican candidates a massive edge by trickling Democratic voters into districts, which had been purposely designed to favor Republicans. The impact of this overpacking led to the Republicans winning nine of the ten newly formed districts in the state. In short, the Republican-controlled state legislature had managed to consolidate Republican voters in districts and dilute Democratic voters' power.

In conclusion, gerrymandering has been a longstanding and contentious political technique used by various governments across the globe throughout history. Its most egregious examples have been those where the practice of manipulating electoral districts has significantly disadvantaged specific ethnic or racial communities or undermined democracy's fundamental function. Nonetheless, despite political parties worldwide using gerrymandering to serve their interests, it has been met with resistance from voters and has sparked debate about the need for fair elections and nonpartisan redistricting processes.