Gerrymandering Essay

Gerrymandering is a term most often known for its use in politics. Many people have heard of the term but do not know what it is, or they know what it and how it works. Just to clarify, Gerrymandering is when the leading political group obtains then right to redraw district lines after reapportionment to gain advantages in an election. Gerrymandering is rapidly growing in popularity across the continental United States. It is allowing politicians to cheat their way into an office with little to no effort. Most politicians are in favor of gerrymandering until the other political party is over the house. Many will say that there is nothing wrong with gerrymandering. Without quick eradication, gerrymandering will consume the government and the

When politicians gerrymander, it takes away the people's power in an election says professor of political science Erik J. Engstrom (Engstrom 192). When the people lose their role in government, it causes an efficiency gap (Stephanopoulos and McGhee 850). An efficiency gap "…represents the difference between the parties' respective wasted votes in an election - where a vote is wasted if it is cast (1) for a losing candidate, or (2) for a winning candidate but in excess of what she needed to prevail (Stephanopoulos and McGhee 834)." The state of California's House members has caught on to the injustices to the people, and they have almost completely eradicated gerrymandering in their state (Blake). The injustices of gerrymandering become more apparent when it comes to minorities (Engstrom 198). Professor of Law at New York University Adam B. Cox and Professor of Economics Richard T. Holden say, when political lines are redrawn politicians tend to make sure minorities are spread across the state to ensure voting is biased (Cox and Holden 572). Through the Supreme Court Case Vieth v. Jubelirer, politicians can constitutional gerrymander (Dawood). Gerrymandering is cheating the people in a way that does not have any repercussions. It does not seem that gerrymandering should be legal. How could cheating a way into a win in an election be constitutional? It seems very simple, there is not a single circumstance that would end with no one