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Definition of gerrymander
1 : the act or method of gerrymandering
2 : a district or pattern of districts varying greatly in size or population as a result of gerrymandering three new gerrymanders
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Recent Examples of gerrymander from the Web
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The legislature itself is committed to preserving its advantage and cannot be expected to undo their gerrymanders.
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In some other states, where Democrats are in political control, gerrymanders disadvantaging Republicans have been adopted.
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The decision was the first from a federal court in more than 30 years to reject a voting map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.
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They are not oddly shaped and do not look like a classic gerrymander.
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Former president Barack Obama has said that one of his post-presidency projects will be to combat partisan gerrymanders after the 2020 Census.
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There are other gerrymandering cases awaiting Supreme Court review, including one from North Carolina in which the Court earlier this month upheld a lower-court finding of a racial gerrymander but overturned an order for an immediate remapping.
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If one party has substantially more wasted voters and a lower efficiency than the other, then Stephanopoulos and McGhee claim that’s proof of an unconstitutional gerrymander.
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The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider whether drawing political boundaries in a state can be so hard on a minority political party that the resulting gerrymander violates the U.S. Constitution.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gerrymander'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of gerrymander
Elbridge Gerry + salamander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry's governorship of Massachusetts
Other Government and Politics Terms
gerrymander
Definition of gerrymander
gerrymandered
;gerrymandering
\-d(ə-)riŋ\transitive verb
1 : to divide (a territorial unit) into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible
2 : to divide (an area) into political units to give special advantages to one group gerrymander a school district
Examples of gerrymander in a Sentence
gerrymandering urban districts to give rural voters a majority
Recent Examples of gerrymander from the Web
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These optimistic folks relaxed and smiled as every voting district in the United States was gerrymandered.
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And unlike a few states, Wisconsin does not have voter initiative, a process that has allowed citizens in California and Arizona to enact non-partisan districting commissions and remove from legislatures the ability to gerrymander.
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The lawsuit had criticized the district, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond of New Orleans, as racially gerrymandered...
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The Supreme Court has regularly — and increasingly — tossed out state electoral maps because they have been gerrymandered to reduce the influence of racial minorities by depressing the impact of their votes.
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The Supreme Court has regularly – and increasingly – tossed out state electoral maps because they have been gerrymandered to reduce the influence of racial minorities by depressing the impact of their votes.
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Gerrymandering in favor of a political party instead of race has so far been deemed constitutional.
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North Carolina’s congressional districts were so gerrymandered in 2016 that Republicans won 10 of the state’s 13 House seats, even as 46 percent of the state’s voters backed Hillary Clinton.
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The Supreme Court struck down two congressional districts in North Carolina on Monday because they had been gerrymandered along racial lines, with Justice Clarence Thomas joining the court’s liberals to form the majority.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gerrymander'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of gerrymander
see 1gerrymander
Other Government and Politics Terms
GERRYMANDER Defined for English Language Learners
gerrymander
Definition of gerrymander for English Language Learners
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: to divide (a state, school district, etc.) into political units that give one group an unfair advantage
Law Dictionary
Legal Definition of gerrymander
1 : the act or method of gerrymandering
2 : a district or pattern of districts varying greatly in size or population as a result of gerrymandering
Origin and Etymology of gerrymander
Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814) + salamander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry's governorship of Massachusetts
gerrymander
Legal Definition of gerrymander
gerrymandered
gerrymandering
1 : to divide (a territorial unit) into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible
2 : to divide (an area) into political units to give special advantages to one group gerrymander a school district
Learn More about gerrymander
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See words that rhyme with gerrymander Nglish: Translation of gerrymander for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of gerrymander for Arabic speakers
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