gerrymander

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“
The police power has often been misused for such purposes; the gerrymander is another clever method of manipulating the results of elections.

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. transitive verb To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections.
  2. noun The act, process, or an instance of gerrymandering.
  3. noun A district or configuration of districts differing widely in size or population because of gerrymandering.
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Examples (50)

  • I'm sure if he does stay Governor he will push and prod the FL GOP legislators into something well short of a 2002 style gerrymander, maybe even threatening to veto too ugly a map. by: you @ soon —  Swing State Project
  • While it may not totally slay the gerrymander, the bipartisan commission will remove some of the fierce and destructive partisanship that has characterized the redistricting process. —  Waldo's Virginia Political Blogroll
  • "We reject the statewide challenge to Texas redistricting as an unconstitutional political gerrymander," Kennedy wrote. —  Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog
  • "President Obama's calls for bipartisanship are severely damaged when reports indicate they're maneuvering to stab Republicans in the back through a national gerrymander orchestrated directly by the White House." —  Press Releases from the Committee on Oversight, Republicans
  • It's not as bad as the US Senate gerrymander (in which Wyoming gets as many Senate seats as California), but at least that's justified by a federal system. —  No Right Turn
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This word has been looked up 197 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. After Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander (from the shape of an election district created while Gerry was governor of Massachusetts).

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. In humorous imitation of salamander, from a fancied resemblance to this animal of a map of one of the districts formed in the redisricting of Massachusetts by the legislature in 1811, when El-bridge Gerry was governor. The redistricting was intended (it was believed at the instigation of Gerry) to secure unfairly the election of a majority of Democratic senators. It is now known, however, that he was opposed to the measure.
  2. from gerrymander, n.
 

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/ˈgɛrɪmændər/
by American Heritage

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