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Essential question
Why is important that voters receive fair and equal representation in state and national legislatures?
The practice of drawing congressional district lines to benefit one political party over another is known as gerrymandering and dates back to the 19th century.
The term comes from Elbridge Gerry, a Massachusetts governor who helped draw the boundaries of a congressional district so misshapen and blatantly one-sided that one critic said the map looked like a salamander.
“No,” another replied, “a Gerry-mander.”
Today, state legislatures across the country draw congressional district lines every 10 years with the results of the census, which is the government count of all its residents.
Some lawmakers are looking for a way to end gerrymandering and what they see as an unfair way of dividing voters. Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has proposed his state take the power to draw district lines away from the Maryland legislature and create an independent commission, a system already in use in four other states.
But other politicians from both sides of the aisle don’t think his plan is the right solution.
Democratic Maryland State Sen. Joan Carter Conway said Maryland should not change its pro-Democrat tilt since far more states draw their districts lines to benefit Republicans.
“I don’t think Maryland should be in a position to change unless it’s a national change,” Conway said. “It’s very partisan. The Democrats have been accused of drawing lines to help them. The Republicans draw the lines to help them.”
North Carolina Republican David Lewis says there is no way for a commission to be really independent. People can’t “simply sit down in a room and magically create districts,” he said, “those people don’t exist.”
Key terms
gerrymander — to manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class
congressional district — an electoral constituency based on population that elects a single member of a congress
incumbent — a person who holds a political office or post
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
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