When Elbridge Gerry presided over Massachusetts as its governor in 1812, he signed into a law a redistricting plan that helped benefit his Democratic-Republican Party. One district was said to look like a salamander, and forever after, the term “gerrymandering” – a clever marriage of Gerry and salamander, was used to denote a particularly unfair redistricting process.
Every ten years, politicians fight over control of the size, shape, and makeup of the state and federal legislative maps. More than any other issue, it is redistricting that occupies the attention of lawmakers, more than the debt limit, more than Medicare, and yes, more than Anthony Weiner.
When drawing a map, politicians take into account a few things. First and foremost, they want to protect their own tails. They have to worry about the Justice Department and the Voting Rights Act implications. They are trying to screw their opponents (both opponents of a different party and sometimes, an opponent from the same party). Finally, they want to make certain that they live in the district that they drew for themselves.
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