Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering Definition – Manipulate congressional district boundaries to favor one party over another Reapportionment – the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state after the census every 10 years Redistricting – Redrawing of the boundaries of the districts within each state Carried out by State Legislators Whichever party controls the State Legislature will attempt to maximize their number of reps at expense of minority party

Power of Incumbency Incumbent – Official currently holding office In 2016 97% of House Reps were reelected while 93% of Senators were Incumbents possess better name recognition and a voting track record If a political party is able to gerrymander districts to gain an advantage, the power of incumbency allows them to control those seats for many years

Divided Government Divided government occurs when one party controls Presidency while other party controls Congress Most recent example – Barack Obama’s last few years in office Creates Congressional Gridlock Majority Party in Congress sets the agenda. When government is divided, the President’s agenda is disrupted Parties tend to work against each other rather than engage in debate and compromise

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