Partisan Gerrymandering and How District Lines are Drawn
Aaron Bycoffe and David Wasserman talked about their new project on gerrymandering and redistricting. They described what gerrymandering is and how districts are drawn and some of the problems with it. They also discussed different ways to draw districts.
Description
Aaron Bycoffe and David Wasserman talked about their new project on gerrymandering and redistricting. They described what gerrymandering is, how districts are drawn and some of the problems with it. They also discussed different ways to draw districts.
Bell Ringer Assignment
- How does Mr. Wasserman define gerrymandering?
- Describe how the current distribution of like-minded voters makes gerrymandering easier.
- Who has the power over redistricting?
- What are some of the tradeoffs that occur when drawing districts?
- Explain what is meant by drawing "compact" districts.
- What does Mr. Wasserman mean by drawing districts based on competitiveness? What are advantages of doing this?
- Explain what is meant by drawing lines based on proportionality?
Additional Resources
- Lesson Plan: Redistricting and Gerrymandering
Upon completing this lesson, students will understand how geography can influence U.S. political divisions and policies.
- C-SPAN Classroom Deliberations: What is Gerrymandering and Who Should Control the Redistricting Process?
Participants
Vocabulary
- Census
- Congress
- Democrat
- Distribution
- Gerrymandering
- Minority
- Partisan
- Proportionality
- Redistricting
- Republican