Configuring political districts to favor one party over another, known as gerrymandering, has its origins early in our nation’s history. The practice is named after Eldridge Gerry who was a Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat from Massachusetts. Among his many accomplishments, Gerry signed the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, and he served as Governor of Massachusetts and Vice President of the United States under James Madison. The Boston Gazette, on March 26, 1812, coined the term “gerrymandering” to describe the new Massachusetts Senate districts signed into law by then Governor Gerry, which the Gazette described as looking like a salamander.
Since that time, all political parties in our nation’s history have employed gerrymandering for their political gain. Gerrymandering is so common that, within limitations, it is accepted as the right of the majority in power in any State. In addition to being widely accepted, it is also completely undemocratic. Gerrymandering suppresses the electoral voice of political constituents to favor one party over another which makes State and Federal governments unrepresentative of the people as a whole. For this reason alone, gerrymandering should be legislated out of existence.
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