What is this?
Pennsylvania’s
Seventh
Congressional
District
Legislative Redistricting
• Controls the boundary lines for state electoral
districts as well as those for U.S. Representatives
• Redistricting is controlled by the state government
not at all by the federal government.
• Done every ten (10) years, in the year after a census
is conducted – 2001, 2011, 2021, etc.
• Districts must be contiguous (all one connected
territory) and must have equal populations
How does redistricting become “gerrymandered”?
• It occurs when one political party dominates both
chambers of the legislature and the executive branch.
• If the parties agree to manipulate boundary lines to
protect their members from competitive elections.
Gerrymandering Strategies
• Cracking: divide a
• Packing: get as
concentration of
many members of
members of one
one party into
party into many
only one (or a few)
districts so that they
districts so that
increase the
they can’t
influence of those
influence the
party members into
outcome of many
many electoral
districts
elections
Gerrymandering
• What does gerrymandering try to
do?
• What two limitations are there on
creating a legislative district?
• Why is gerrymandering bad for
voters?
• Why do political parties like it?
Types of Primaries
(Decided by the legislature of each state, so changing this requires
your state to change its laws.)
Open: Anyone can vote in
any party’s primary.
Some states allow you
to vote in more than
one party’s primary,
others allow you to
choose the one party
primary you want to
vote in on election day.
Closed: You can only vote
in the primary of the
party with which you’re
registered. (You can
change your party
registration as many
times as you want, but
you must plan ahead
and fill-out new
registration forms each
time.)
Read: “The Divide Gets Wider”
(Create and complete a table like the one below.)
Causes of Polarization
What can you do to try to reduce
it?
Clearly, but BRIEFLY, describe
cause #1.
Your idea(s) for what actions you
can take to have a positive effect
to change this.
Clearly, but BRIEFLY, describe
cause #2.
Your idea(s) for what actions you
can take to have a positive effect
to change this.
Clearly, but BRIEFLY, describe
cause #3.
Your idea(s) for what actions you
can take to have a positive effect
to change this.
Clearly, but BRIEFLY, describe
cause #4.
Your idea(s) for what actions you
can take to have a positive effect
to change this.
Causes of Polarization
What can you do to try to reduce it?
Hyperpartisan electorial districts, due to
gerrymandering.
ALWAYS VOTE AND GET WORK TO GET
OTHERS TO VOTE; Work to eliminate
gerrymandering (promote nonpartisan
redistricting); Register with the dominant
party if in a gerrymandered district;
Closed primaries (and these are dominated
by more extreme liberals and extreme
conservatives)
VOTE IN PRIMARIES; Work to get open
primaries in your state; Re-register with
different parties depending on who I want
to vote for in the primaries; Try to vote for
moderate candidates when possible
Polarized media – that portray politics in
more confrontational terms. (This especially
appeals the more extreme liberals &
extreme conservatives that vote more in
closed primaries.)
Try to keep informed from a variety of news
sources from different viewpoints; Support
more non-biased media sources; Try to
focus on issues and ignore opinion and less
relevant “controversies”; Make sure your
own “political talk” remains polite
The influence of massive fund raising from
the wealthy and special interest groups.
Pay attention to who politicians get money
from; Donate to causes you believe in;
support campaign finance laws to limit
donations; Ignore campaign commercials