gerrymandered
Districts manipulated unfairly
Gerrymandered describes electoral districts that have been deliberately redrawn to favor one political party over another.
The boundaries often look absurdly contorted—snaking through neighborhoods, splitting communities—to concentrate or dilute particular voting blocs: The gerrymandered district stretched in a thin corridor across three counties.
Named for Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry, whose 1812 redistricting plan created a district shaped like a salamander.
Fraudulently arranged beforehand
- skewedAsymmetrically shifted
- distortedMisshapen from original form
- biasedUnfairly favoring one side
- lopsidedUnequally balanced
unbalanced · disproportionate · manipulated · contrived · engineered · calculated · predetermined · stacked
Redrawing electoral boundaries
- districtsDefined administrative regions
- boundariesLines marking separation
- apportionmentDivision into shares
- reapportionmentRedistributing legislative seats
precincts · wards · constituencies · mapmaking · census · demographics · electorate · representation
Redrawing electoral boundaries
- partisanshipLoyalty to one faction
- incumbentCurrent position holder
- polarizationSeparation into opposing extremes
- ideologyStructured belief framework
factionalism · bipartisan · supermajority · coalition · caucus · realignment · majoritarianism · platform
Legal dispute process
- backlashStrong negative reaction
- scrutinyClose, careful examination
- reformImprove by correcting faults
- challengeTest of ability
criticism · debate · contentious · dispute · dissent · accountability · transparency · legal challenge
Tactics discouraging ballot access
- dilutionReduction in concentration
- underrepresentationInsufficient proportional presence
- marginalizedPushed to society's edges
- discriminatoryShowing unfair distinction
inequitable · minority voters · exclusion · voiceless · powerless · wasted votes
rigged
Fraudulently arranged beforehand
lopsided · unbalanced · disproportionate · manipulated · contrived · engineered · calculated · predetermined · stacked · tilted
redistricting
Redrawing electoral boundaries
- districtsDefined administrative regions
- boundariesLines marking separation
- apportionmentDivision into shares
reapportionment · precincts · wards · constituencies · mapmaking · census · demographics · electorate · representation · delimitation
redistricting
Redrawing electoral boundaries
- partisanshipLoyalty to one faction
- incumbentCurrent position holder
- polarizationSeparation into opposing extremes
ideology · factionalism · bipartisan · supermajority · coalition · caucus · realignment · majoritarianism · platform · grassroots
litigation
Legal dispute process
- backlashStrong negative reaction
- scrutinyClose, careful examination
- reformImprove by correcting faults
challenge · criticism · debate · contentious · dispute · dissent · accountability · transparency · legal challenge · court ruling
voter suppression
Tactics discouraging ballot access
- dilutionReduction in concentration
- underrepresentationInsufficient proportional presence
- marginalizedPushed to society's edges
discriminatory · inequitable · minority voters · exclusion · voiceless · powerless · wasted votes
gerrymanderedimpartial
Showing no preference
unbiased · equitable · neutral · nonpartisan · representative
gerrymanderedunmanipulated
Not artificially changed
unrigged · legitimate · honest · transparent · above-board
- racial gerrymanderingManipulating boundaries by ethnicity
gerrymander, gerrymandering, gerrymanderer, gerrymanders, gerrymanderers