“To manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.”
The origin of “gerrymandering” dates back to 1812! Elbridge Gerry was a merchant and a politician serving as the 5th vice president of the United States under President James Madison. Gerry was elected to the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation. After the ratification of the Constitution of the United States, Gerry was elected to the inaugural US Congress. While there, advocating for individual and state rights, he was tirelessly involved with the preparing and eventual passage of the Bill of Rights. He was also instrumental in arguing for Congress’ power to override presidential vetoes.
In the early1800s he joined a new party, the Democratic-Republicans, which supported a less centralized government. Like many Democratic-Republicans of his time, Gerry believed the Federalists were too close to the British and secretly hoped to restore the monarchy. After becoming governor of Massachusetts, he called for an end to the bickering between the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists. However, war was on the horizon with Great Britain in 1811 and Gerry felt the Federalists’ protests against Pres. Madison’s foreign policy was near-treasonous.
So what did he do? He replaced Federalists in state government jobs with Democratic-Republicans, got his attorney general to prosecute Federalist newspaper editors for libel, and seized control of the Federalist-dominated Harvard College board.
Things that make you go, Hmmm . . .
Anyway, the majority led Democratic-Republican legislature, redrew the state’s Senate districts to benefit their party. Before that, senatorial districts followed county boundaries. The new Senate map was now filled with unnatural shapes, Federalists criticizing them as “carvings and manglings.” Gov. Gerry signed the bill into law in Feb. 1812. Thus began the practice of cheating and the emergence of a new word describing it.
Here in New Hampshire, we deal with our own gerrymandered districts. Our population census is taken every ten years so that important decisions about federal spending can be made wisely. The boundaries of congressional and legislative districts are then redrawn according to the population in each one. New Hampshire is one of 31 states in which the legislature passes redistricting plans as regular legislation. These plans are often approved with a majority vote in each chamber and can be subject to veto by the governor.
This process also determines political power for the next ten years. Now the question is how to make this process run fairly?
One answer is to appoint an “independent election commission” made up of citizens who have no stake in politics other than to see the redistricting process take place fairly and not leave the state looking “carved up and mangled.”