1. Or, How to Lose
Friends & Alienate
People!

2. *Form of redistricting in which
electoral districts are manipulated for
an advantage for one political party.

3. *Redistricting by gerrymandering is
typically used by a politician in power,
or an incumbent.

4. Elbridge
*Gerrymandering is derived from
“Gerry” + “salamander”
@ Elbridge Gerry was the governor of
Massachusetts before becoming
Vice President under James Madison.
@ A misshapen district was drawn and passed
through the Massachusetts legislature in
1812 by the Democratic Republicans.
@ The district resembled a salamander.

5. This cartoon depicting a
district in
Massachusetts, was
printed in 1812. The
electoral districts were
drawn by Democratic-
Republican members of
the Massachusetts
legislature to favor their
incumbent party
candidates. Governor
Elbridge Gerry signed
the redistricting into law
(although reluctantly).

6. *There are two main gerrymandering
techniques: packing and cracking.
@ Packing concentrates opposition in only
one district.
@ Cracking “dilutes” the opposition, so it
becomes a minority.

7. If you were to
create four
evenly spaced
Congressional
districts, how
might you do
it?

8. What about if
you wanted to
keep the reds &
blues even?

9. How many red
voters are in
each district?
How many
blue voters?

10. Redrawing the
districts creates
only one
“packed”
district of 14
blue voters –
the rest are
“cracked”
between the
other three
districts.

11. This district was drawn to
separate the Hopi and the
Navajo tribes, due to
historic tensions. In order
to comply with
redistricting laws, the
district had to be
contiguous, but avoid
including Navajo land.

12. The unusual
“earmuff” shape
connects two
Hispanic
neighborhoods
while remaining
contiguous by
following
Interstate 294.

13. *The use of obstructive tactics by a
Senator to prevent voting on a bill.
*Translation: “talking a bill to death.”

14. *The use of obstructive tactics by a
Senator to prevent voting on a bill.
*Translation: “talking a bill to death.”

16. *Can anyone stop it?
@ YES. That is called cloture.
@ A filibuster can be ended with a 60%
majority vote.

17. Average Number of Cloture Motions Filed per Month

18. *Could I get a real world
example?
@ Huey Long used filibusters to
block bills that he felt favored
the rich over the poor.
@ He once held the floor for 15
hours… that’s the same as 10
class blocks!

19. *Fifteen hours sound like a
long time?? Strom Thurmond
wins the record.
@ He filibustered for 24 hours, 18
minutes against the Civil
Rights Act of 1957.
@ He was successful in defeating
the Civil Rights Act; it did not
pass until 1964… using cloture.