gerrymander

verb

1. (derogatory, transitive)To divide a geographic area into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

   “[Will] O’Neill isn’t necessarily wrong. Democrats readily concede that they are betraying principles of good governance in trying to gerrymander California.”

2. (broadly, derogatory, transitive)To draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain.

   “The superintendent helped gerrymander the school district lines in order to keep the children of the wealthy gated community in the better school all the way across town.”

3. (broadly, derogatory, transitive)To change the franchise or voting system in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

   “[The Reform Bill's] main purpose will be so to gerrymander the electorate as to give the greatest possible assistance to the Radical party at the next election.”

   “But Remainers often picture [Brexit] instead as the upshot of a poorly framed question put to an ill-informed, and underrepresentative segment of the population – even the product of a 'gerrymander'.”

   “Congress delegated to the first legislature the task of setting up elections under territorial law, which it did. But Montana Democrats couldn't pass up the opportunity to gerrymander the rules.”

4. (Ireland, UK, broadly, derogatory, transitive)To deliberately bring in voters of one's own party or displace voters of another party from a voting district in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

   “Westminster City Council has been accused by the District Auditor of using public money to gerrymander marginal wards for the 1990 Borough elections. The strategy of attempting to 'gentrify' eight key wards, selling off council homes and hostels for the homeless to move out potential Labour voters and attract in more Conservative voters, was in conflict with the council's statutory duty to homeless people”

   “Fermanagh Council even went so far as to create the new village of Donagh in an attempt to move Catholics out of Newtownbutler, four miles away, so unionists could gerrymander a majority.”

5. (alt-of, obsolete)Obsolete form of gerrymander.

   “The latter attempted (at June Session) to provide for the appointment of Madisonian Electors by the Legislature; they attempted also to Gerrymander the State for the choice of Representatives to Congress; […]”

   “When a man has been swindled out of his rights by a villain, he says he has been Gerrymandered.”

   “Col. Singleton is the first Whig Representative ever sent to the Legislature since the district was Gerrymandered for party purposes.”

   “The Legislature of Ohio intends to prove itself a veritable master in the Gerrymandering business.”

noun

1. (derogatory)The act of gerrymandering.
2. (derogatory)A voting district skewed by gerrymandering.

   “Any citizen looking at a map of district 12 could immediately tell that it was a gerrymander because of the ridiculous way it cut across four counties while carving up neighborhoods in half.”

3. (alt-of, obsolete)Obsolete form of gerrymander.

   “The sensibility of the good people of Massachusetts is at present too much awakened to this ‘Gerrymander’ to require [etc.].”

   “The Senate proposed an election by Congressional or Gerrymander districts, which was refused by the house, as a novel as well as unfair mode of election; […]”

   “A bill to repeal the Law for Diſtricting the State for the Choice for Senators, and Repreſentatives to Congreſs [commonly called the Gerrymander diſtricts law] paſſed to be engroſſed.”

   “We published our last paper under uncommon sensations of pleasure, on account of the triumph of the Friends of Peace and good principles in this Gerrymander district, formed by their opponents while they possessed the legislative power of the state, with a view to secure themselves in the senate, and control the Congressional election.”

   “Some returns from democratic towns are not made conformable to the Gerrymander law of last February.”