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manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.
- achieve (a result) by manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency. “a total freedom to gerrymander the results they want”
Early 19th century: from the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts + salamander, from the supposed similarity between a salamander and the shape of a new voting district on a map drawn when he was in office (1812), the creation of which was felt to favor his party; the map (with claws, wings, and fangs added) was published in the Boston Weekly Messenger, with the title The Gerry-Mander and is shown above.
Even NC House Republicans have commented on how gerrymandered our city is. I don’t know that it is, but it looks odd.
The Supreme Court declined to step in regarding gerrymandering on a state level (https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article231403213.html) so I don’t see any cavalry coming to save us.
Why is the map like this? There are a lot of thoughts from a lot of people, but most seem to settle on this fact: It concentrates the majority of African Americans into one Ward. I don’t know if that is why it looks like this. It could be something much more innocent, regarding the way the city grew, or something of that nature. I’m finding it very hard to get an answer.
I’m told the city has an outside source redistrict after ever census, and there is a new one in 2020. I haven’t been able to verify this.
What do you think?
I’ve never been a fan of gerrymandering by either political party. Any kind of disenfranchisement is against the democratic process and harms the republic. Ridding the state of gerrymandering and the nation of Citizens United and ALEC should be a major part of all constituents’ demands.
“Even NC House Republicans have commented on how gerrymandered our city is. ”
You seem to fancy yourself as an independent, but this statement alone seems to indicate a certain predilection for one side of the aisle.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article231422113.html NC Republicans just had a case go to the Supreme Court about gerrymandering, so when one of their leaders tells me Hickory is gerrymandered, I listen.
I don’t FANCY myself anything. I’m unaffiliated. I’m pretty hard on the Democrats too. But they didn’t JUST have a court case that was national news.
(When you comment the first time, it goes to moderation, and I don’t see it until I log in again, so it won’t automatically post…I believe in the future, they will, since I’ve cleared you for posting now…wasn’t personal. The process just takes a while, because it doesn’t give me a notification.)