Cracking a political party’s voters into more districts or packing party voters into fewer districts are methods used to assure more wins.
How to gerrymander
a political map
SOURCE: Associated Press; Tribune News Service
Sample geographic area:
5 districts
50 precincts
Voters identifying with Orange party:
60%
Voters identifying with Teal party:
40%
Orange wins proportional districts
Orange: 3 seats
Teal: 2 seats
Results are propotional to population
Proportional
Cracking
Packing
Packing
Cracking
Proportional
Click to see differences
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5
Teal party’s votes have been split into many districts, losing each by a narrow margin.
Orange: 5 seats
Teal: 0 seats
Orange wins all districts
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4
3
2
5
Orange party’s votes have been concentrated in a few districts, creating a surplus of wasted votes.
Orange: 2 seats
Teal: 3 seats
Teal wins more districts
Orange:
3 seats
Green:
2 seats
Orange party’s votes have been concentrated in a few districts, creating a surplus of wasted votes.
Green wins more districts
Orange:
2 seats
Green:
3 seats