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 districts looked like it was shaped like a salamander, so that's how they got the mander part. Also, the finishing touch was when Elkanah Tisdale's cartoon appeared in the Boston Gazette; graphically transformed neighborhoods into an animal, which then finally gave rise to the term “The Gerry-mander.” Gerrymandering can be simply described as the drawing of electoral district boundaries with the primary goal of determining the outcome of elections. Congressional districts are gerrymandered in one of two ways. The first is to cluster districts so that voters of one type are grouped into a single district, which essentially helps prevent them from influencing other districts. The second method, usually called “cracking”, is achieved by diluting practically all the same voters. You spread them across as many districts as possible to prevent them from gaining enough influence in any of the districts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Gerrymandering has been used to both enable and stop 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 reduced 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 House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on the issue "I think it's wrong" and "I think it leads to bad government." Gerrymandering could potentially be seen as a violation of the United States Constitution. It has already been recognized several times by state and federal courts, but not with the unanimity needed to systematically outlaw the practice of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering has been considered dangerous because it violates two fundamental principles of electoral distribution which are compactness and equality of the size of constituencies. “A 1964 U.S. Supreme Court ruling established that districts should be designed to reflect substantial equality of population.” Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay However, majority parties in some state legislatures continue to set district boundaries along partisan lines without regard for 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 argue that violating local boundaries in drawing districts is preferable to denying a politically cohesive group any say in state government and harms equality of.