There aren’t many people in the United States who have an idea about what gerrymandering is, let alone how it affects them. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as this; “the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.” Depot Pond Publishing in Baldwinville, MA has more on this important topic.
When you first look into books on gerrymandering, Sacramento, California you’ll see that the idea goes way back to 1812, when the Boston Gazette ran a cartoon that depicted what they called, “a new species of monster,” the Gerry-mander. The cartoon appeared because then Governor Elbridge Gerry signed off on his party’s redistricting plans. Many people inside and outside politics consider this action to be the first shot fired in the long fought war of underhanded political tricks.
There are many reasons why a political party would want to gerrymander.
- The process involves maximizing the political boundaries and increases the number of supporters in a region.
- Reducing the number of opponents in a district by making the district smaller.
- The political party with the majority can strongly conquer the gerrymandered region by weakening the minority.
- It can lead to better representation by reducing divisiveness.
When one party is in control of the State House, Senate and Governor’s mansion, they will usually do everything in their power to draw lines of voting districts to favor themselves and this places their rivals at a disadvantage. If you dive deeper into Sacramento, California, books on gerrymandering, you’ll notice that American politicians have used this practice for over 200 years.
The Supreme Court took on the question of gerrymandering in 2019 when they ruled in the Rucho v. Common Cause and released a momentous decision. In a five to four ruling, the sitting Justices decided that when controversy erupts over whether politicians have gone too far when drawing district lines for partisan gain, the federal courts must stay out of the dispute. If you read books on gerrymandering, you will learn more about this divisive political move.
If this subject interests you, get in touch with Depot Pond Publishing and take a deeper dive into the books they offer. There is so much more than books on gerrymandering Sacramento, California. You will find books about the United States Constitution and forgotten or overlooked vital topics to promote peace and prosperity for all.